Clayton Hammonds always envisioned himself pursuing a career in the educational field. However, it was an interesting journey to get where he is today. 

At first, Hammonds was interested in topics such as educational philosophy and educational law, but never actually standing in a classroom teaching young kids. 

That all changed when he declared his major at Valdosta State University. 

“I knew education was something I always wanted to do,” Hammonds said. “But I thought it would be on the law side of it. Then, when I was in college, we had to go inside classrooms and observe what all teachers do. I fell in love with it from there.” 

When he finished at Valdosta State, Hammonds earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle Grades Education. Since then, he attended Walden University where he earned his master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction Assessment. 

Currently, Hammonds is pursuing an Educational Specialist and has plans to earn a doctorate in Urban School Leadership. 

Five years into his career, Hammonds stressed how he values his work and contributions to teaching the next generation of Newton County School System students. 

After spending a year teaching in Valdosta, Hammonds returned to his hometown in 2017. He accepted the job as a science teacher at Veterans Memorial Middle School. Hammonds said he  can’t imagine teaching any other group of students. 

“Watching them grow from sixth to eighth grade, it’s amazing how much their character develops and the impact you can have on them,” Hammonds said. “And you really don’t know how you impact them until they reach high school. You’ll get a random email one day saying, ‘Mr. Hammonds, thank you for inspiring me and keeping me on the straight and narrow.’ I’ll always choose middle school grades to teach, because they’re ready to receive the molding you give them.”

Outside of the classroom, Hammonds is involved, too. 

Hammonds serves as the BETA Club sponsor, PBIS Ambassadors sponsor, PBIS Coach and serves on too many committees to remember them all.  

The passion Hammonds has teaching middle school students comes from seeing a lot of himself in his students. 

Because, just like most of the students he teaches, Hammonds is a product of the NCSS. 

For Hammonds, being from Newton County assists him in reaching the kids. He just hopes his students realize just how special their hometown is.