Best known for saving the school from our most recent fire fiasco, Elliott Reid is a prominent figure in the lives of many North Atlanta students. Reid has been an IB history teacher in the building for eight years. His students love his engaging classroom discussions, appreciate the care he has for his classes, and know very well to always cheer for the Packers. 

After growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Reid attended the University of North Carolina for his college years. At the time, he was drawn to government and politics and planned to go to law school and become an attorney. In his senior year of college, Reid took part in a volunteer program, tutoring students after school with his fraternity. Although at the time it was a fun volunteer opportunity, it soon became something more. After the initial program was over, Reid found himself constantly going back, until he was offered a job by the director – his very first teaching job. “I really enjoyed that job and those kids, but at the time it still wasn’t my main focus,” said Reid.

Despite this new job, Reid still had his mind set on law school and a world of courtrooms, litigations, and legal documents, until his mind was suddenly changed by one young student. One fateful day at the mall with his friends, Reid ran into one of his students with his mother. The student was completely overjoyed to see him and began telling his mother all about his “favorite teacher,” Mr. Reid. “It completely melted my heart to think that I could have that kind of impact on somebody,” said Reid. “I knew right then I was going to be a teacher.”

Since that critical encounter, Reid has worked as a teacher for twenty years. After years of dreaming of living in Atlanta, Reid moved to the city in 2015 and worked for a year in Dekalb county, before getting his current job at North Atlanta. His love for teaching has never wavered. “Watching students leave my classroom at the end of the year having grown and able to articulate and express themselves fully is the best part of my job,” said Reid. 

When Reid made the choice to become a teacher, there was never much of a question about which subject he would teach. For a lover of politics, there was really no better choice than history. Teaching a history class within the IB program, Reid spends his days debating, dissecting, and discussing the events that created the world we live in today. Understanding history is what leads us to make the best decisions for our future. “History is a conversation,” said Reid. “It’s always changing, and that’s always been appealing to me.”

A forward-thinking mind, an avid history lover, and a man who tirelessly challenges the ubiquitous perspectives of history, Reid is the epitome of an IB teacher. His students love his open classroom structure – an inviting room full of lively conversation and captivating lessons. One of his students, junior Lizzie Hart said, “He treats us as equals which allows for really interesting discussions and deeper learning. We all love Mr. Reid.”