The nation's top teacher starts every class with community

Leon Smith, a Pennsylvania history teacher named 2026 National Teacher of the Year, opens each day with students in a circle — laughing, talking, being seen — before a single lesson begins. In 25 years at Haverford High, he's built a classroom where kids learn to think critically and look out for each other. He calls himself a 'warm demander': high expectations, wrapped in love.