Do you think your life seems busy? There’s no way it is as jam-packed as economics and current Issues teacher Leila Austin. Although this is her first year at North Atlanta, Austin is no stranger to the stress that comes with children.

Austin, who has taught for 15 years, is very familiar with large amounts of people and work as she taught both in school and online. After two years of spending time with her toddler son Jack, Austin is diving back in head first to be the mother of both her child and her students.

Her student have positively responded to her nurturing ways. “She is so nice and you can tell she really cares about her students,” said senior Axel Velazquez. “You can see how her motherly love translates to the teaching environment as she always strives to make sure her students understand every part of the material.”

Like most teachers, Austin is used to grading copious amounts of work but this mountain of work coupled with raising her two-year-old boy gives her little breathing room. “The biggest challenge for me is time management,” she said.

Although teaching is her current passion, it wasn’t what she envisioned herself doing while growing up. When she was a student at Lassiter High School in Marietta she said she envisioned a future career in politics. But during the end of her high school years she realized a teaching career was her actual calling. “I realized teaching would be a greater use to better the inform the public,” she said.

The topic of economics was one that came to her randomly when she was in high school. “As a student it wasn’t the easiest thing for me but I taught myself how to understand it and that made me more passionate when teaching and helping others understand it as well,” she said.

For college, Austin attended Kennesaw State University where she studied social sciences. After teaching for 15 years, Austin said she realizes how important teaching is for her students. “My own struggles as a student made me passionate today because I can see and relate to the struggles that students have,” she said.

In order to ensure her students’ minds are constantly engaged there’s never a moment of down-time in her class.  “She’s ‘woke’ because no one can fall asleep in this class,” said senior Noelia German.

Other students have a similar take on the dynamic teacher. “I think her class is nice. She’s cool and values imparting knowledge upon her students. She shows us that we need to know what’s going on to be globally aware,” said Maddi Bolis.

Austin is excited to be back in the teaching swing of things. And with all of the late nights she spends both grading papers and raising her son, she certainly can relate with stay-up-all-night students.