I'm thankful for all of the committed educators, including my parents who are both teachers, who helped shape me and who encourage me to continuously improve as a teacher. Throughout my career, I've sought out communities and opportunities to reflect on my teaching with the aim of improving. The Presidential Award process was one of those valuable opportunities. And what motivates me to improve? My students and their families deserve the very best from me.

John Smith III Philadelphia, PA | 7-12, Mathematics, 2021

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

John “Trey” Smith is a kindergarten through eighth grade digital literacy teacher at Marian Anderson School. He previously taught kindergarten to eighth grade digital literacy in a makerspace at Chester A. Arthur School. In 2019-2021 and 2010-2014, Trey taught Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Physical Science at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School. He spent his first three years as an educator teaching middle school science and social studies at Morrison Elementary. Trey is an adjunct instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. During his first four years at Boys’ Latin, Trey chaired the science department and established a junior chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, robotics teams, a science research and internship program, and a science speaker and field trip series. He also co-founded the Philadelphia Engineering and Math Challenge in partnership with the Math Forum at Drexel University to provide competitions for middle and high school mathematics teams. During the 2014-2015 school year, Trey served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow on Capitol Hill. As a legislative fellow, he helped secure bipartisan amendments to the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2016 related to engineering and computer science education, career and technical education, and teacher professional development. For the 2015-2016 school year, the Library of Congress selected Trey to be its first Science Teacher-in-Residence. Trey has a B.A. in political science, with honors, and a B.A. in communication studies from Louisiana State University. He also holds an M.S.Ed. in urban education from the University of Pennsylvania. He is certified in secondary biology, chemistry, general science, social studies, and K-12 technology.

Know a great teacher like John Smith III? Nominate them for PAEMST!