When Brian Leonard, 35, first headed off to college, he thought he might become a dentist.
“I loved the fact that my dentist made a lot of money and took a half day off on Friday,” he said. “To a kid of 18, that sounded like the dream job. I wanted that kind of life.
“But when I starting reflecting on why I wanted to be a dentist, I realized the only reason was the money. By my sophomore year, I started asking myself, ‘What could I do that wouldn’t be just about the money? What could I do that I would enjoy?’” Leonard said. “By that time, I was tutoring in the math department, and I realized I loved helping people that didn’t get it finally see that light bulb go off.
“So I thought, ‘Why not be a teacher?’ I tried it and fell in love with it. I found my passion.”
As Leonard’s passion for teaching has grown throughout the years, several accolades have come his way.
Most recently, Leonard, who teaches mathematics at Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy, was selected as one of 108 mathematics and science teachers to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award recipients represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools.
“This is the highest award in my profession,” Leonard said. “Receiving it was humbling. It’s not about the awards; it’s about the kids you teach.”
Leonard and the other honorees received their awards at a ceremony in July in Washington, D.C. Recipients took home a $10,000 award from the National Science Federation to be used at their discretion.
“I got to meet the president,” Leonard said. “I shook his hand and said, ‘It’s nice to meet you, Mr. President.’ He came into the room in the White House and talked about his daughters and how education is important to him.”
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding kindergarten through 12th-grade science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level.
Each year, the award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through sixth grade and those teaching seventh through 12th grades. The award winners named in July teach seventh through 12th grades.
Leonard was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“I’m a Cajun,” he said with a laugh.
His family moved to Camden when he was a sophomore in high school, and he graduated from Camden Fairview High School in 1998.
“I was not happy with Mom and Dad,” he said, adding that his parents, Terrence and Loretta Leonard, still live in Camden.
He went on to attend Henderson State University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 2002. He finished a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, graduating summa cum laude with a perfect 4.00 grade-point average in 2009.
He is a National Board Certified Teacher in adolescence and young adulthood mathematics.
Leonard and his wife, Joi, were married two weeks after he graduated from Henderson State. In December 2002, they headed to Australia, where she was set to study as the recipient of a Rotary International scholarship
“I went with her,” Leonard said. He found a teaching job at the University of Canberra, where he taught math from April 2003 to December 2003.
“That was my first teaching job right off the boat. It was awesome,” he said.
“It was a little weird. I taught 100 to 150 students at a time, in an amphitheater. When I came back here, I seemed to freak out at teaching 30 students,” Leonard said.
“It was a different dynamic over there. They separated the students into lecture days and tutorial days,” he said.
“That was the first time I had ever taught. No kids would talk on the lecture days; they just took notes. That freaked me out,” Leonard said. “Then on the next days, they would break out in the tutorial session and talk and discuss the problems.
“I loved it.”
When Leonard returned to Arkansas, he could not find a teaching job, so he worked construction, installing insulation at the Redfield Coal Power Plant for six months. Then in August 2004, he secured a teaching job at Academics Plus Charter School in Maumelle, where he taught math for two years.
Leonard came to Lake Hamilton High School in 2006.
“I love it here,” he said. “This year, I teach Advanced Placement calculus and AP statistics.”
Leonard is also the mathematics lead teacher for the Lake Hamilton School District. As such, he leads district meetings for all math teachers in grades six through 12, performs classroom observations of math teachers and assists math teachers in implementing AP strategies in their classrooms.
“I not only love teaching; I love what I teach,” Leonard said. “I think the kids recognize that. I have a passion for the material, and I love it — still, after doing this for 12 years.
“I still try to come up with new ways to teach the concepts, and I still learn information about what I teach.
“I think this job consumes a lot of my time, but that’s because I let it, and I enjoy it.”
Leonard said he is “very honest” with his students.
“I treat them with respect. I treat them like adults, but on the flip side, I am incredibly honest. I will call them out and tell them if they are being lazy. I tell them the good and the bad, and I think they respect that,” he said.
“They know I know what I am teaching, and they also know I care about them. I think that’s what makes me an effective teacher,” he said.
“The Presidential Award is recognition for not just the countless hours I have devoted to helping my students achieve, but also to everyone involved who has assisted me along the way,” Leonard said. “I am blessed to have helpful colleagues, motivated students, dedicated administration and many others who have helped me reach this point in my career.
“This award is a culmination of years of hard work, and I am humbled by this honor. I look forward to advancing my career with the help of all those around me.”