Leon Smith of Pennsylvania named 2026 National Teacher of the Year

CBS Mornings Leon Smith of Pennsylvania named 2026 National Teacher of the Year: "He is everything you want in a teacher" .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-cbs-mornings.jpg'); } By Kelsie Hoffman April 21, 2026 / 11:11 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google "CBS Mornings" exclusively revealed Pennsylvania high school teacher Leon Smith as the 2026 National Teacher of the Year, which is selected by the Council of Chief State School Officers' National Teacher of the Year program.Smith, a social studies teacher at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pennsylvania, said the honor "just means everything.""It's just such an honor to be able to represent teachers all over the country and really stand on the shoulders of so many others that have come before me that have done just such great work," Smith said in an interview with "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday.Smith, who teaches AP U.S. history and AP African American studies, was previously named the 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.In a video, students at Haverford High School and colleagues described Smith as passionate, caring, charismatic and engaging."He is everything you want in a teacher," principal Pete Donaghy said in the video. "He relates African American studies or U.S. history to his students."Smith reflected on the difference teachers can make in the lives of their students. For him, his favorite teacher was his first grade teacher, Ms. Mason. "Just how she made me feel," Smith said. "So I just think that's the power of a teacher, that it's not always the content but it's how you make the students feel is what they remember." Smith said he thinks it's crucial to let students "know that you care.""And also just being able to see things in students that they cannot see in themselves."Smith is also a longtime basketball coach, coaching the freshman team at Haverford High School. "I was one of his players and he made sure that I felt seen," a former player...