“I hope you don’t mind if I multitask,” said Mr. Ramon Reeves, North Atlanta’s cheerful forensics teacher, leaning into his chair and entering some grades. His joy is almost overflowing through his contagious smile as he begins talking about his long-running tenure of 19 years of teaching the Warriors. As he reflects on his years at North he considers the path that’s taken him into his chosen profession. 

After majoring in biology with an emphasis in pre-med at what he calls the “real GSU” — that is, Georgia Southern University in Statesboro — Reeves first planned to use his love of helping people in the medical field. Those possible plans for med school were changed when he followed the even stronger call to teach. So, he started his career as a science teacher at North Atlanta’s old campus, which is currently Sutton Middle School, in 2002. When a reporter talking to him mentions that she was born in 2003, he lets out a laugh. “I knew there would come a year when the students I teach weren’t even around when I was first starting here, I guess that time is now,” he said. 

Teaching both forensic science and “One Goal”, a class to find what post-secondary option is right for students, may be seen as a challenging feat to other teachers, but Reeves is up for the task. A great emphasis in his career has also been promoting more minority participation in the educational field. “There weren’t that many African American male teachers, so that was another reason I stayed in education,” he said. 

You can tell from his demeanor that he loves teaching and being a role model for all of his students, and he has been for almost two decades. His walls are decorated with college banners of schools his students have shown interest in throughout the year, and he explains that he uses them to help them try their best all year, keeping the end goal end mind. What would cause someone to stick in the profession for so long? “I believe that consistency is extremely important in order for students and a community in general to grow, so I have tried to be consistent over the past years,” he said. 

Reeves believes the biggest change from the older building to our current 11-story home was to the science department. While at the old building, the science teachers took over the fourth floor, a level devoted solely to science labs. But, at the new building, the science teachers are spaced two per floor, so he doesn’t get to see his old buddies as much. 

So what is the key to a great, long career in education? Mr. Reeves might just have the secret. Stop by 10123 to get a taste of the magic that has been filling the North Atlanta halls for 19 years, and counting.