Leadership in Education. What is Your Why?

What is a leader? In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word leader is defined as “a person who leads.” Merriam-Webster also defines the word “leadership” as “the power or ability to lead other people.” To me, these definitions are so vague, which makes them so wonderful. Being a leader and showing leadership are exactly what their definitions say they are, but what kind of leader you are and what kind of leadership qualities you portray, are completely and totally up to you.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” -Simon Sinek

This is a quote that resonated with me at our 2016 Student PSEA Leadership & Planning retreat. At our retreat, we began by expanding our knowledge about different leadership styles. This year, we learned about “starting with the why,” an idea from Simon Sinek and his TED Talk, which you can find here: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action (I highly suggest watching it.)

Beginning with the why, telling people what you believe in, showing them how you act on what you believe – sounds easy, right? However, most people and organizations start with what they are trying to “sell.” They then let people know how they do it and they never get to the why. As leaders in Student PSEA, we need to break this cycle and tell everyone why we are leaders in Student PSEA. What is our purpose? Why are we inspiring everyone else to become members of this amazing organization?

Learn what your why is. What do you believe in? Why are you a leader? Why are you an educator? Find what inspires you. Then, figure out how you are going to follow through in what you believe. Lastly, tell them who you are. Are you an educator? Are you a leader? Who/what are you?

If Student PSEA were to start from the outside in, it would sound like this: We help educate and train aspiring educators by providing them with professional development, community service, and political action opportunities. Want to join?

Doesn’t sound so appealing, right?

If Student PSEA were to start from the inside out, starting with their why, it would sound like this: We believe in providing quality education to children no matter their ZIP code. We provide professional development, community service, and political action opportunities. We help educate and train aspiring educators. We are Student PSEA.

That sounds a lot better, doesn’t it? However, to provide these opportunities, it takes a special type of leader. A servant leader to be exact. But what exactly is a servant leader? How am I, as an educator, a servant leader?

A servant leader is someone who has a will, something they believe in. He/she is intentional with his/her actions and choses their behavior. A servant leader choses to love, the verb, which means he/she identifies and meets the needs, not wants, of those they are leading. By meeting the needs of others, a servant leader has been called on to serve and sacrifice. A servant leader dedicates their time to those they lead. By serving and sacrificing, a servant leader influences. He/she leads by influence rather than power, and in turn, earns the right to be called a leader.

As educators, we have a will to teach children and to help them reach their fullest potential, no matter their ZIP code. We are intentional with our actions, by providing appropriate instruction to our students and by going to school every day to provide them with the best education possible. We love, the verb, because we meet the needs of our students, not their wants. We are serving them and sacrificing our time with friends and family, because we are planning awesome lessons, grading papers, or writing notes home to families. We have dedicated our time to our students and in turn, we have earned the right to be called leaders. Leaders of our students, leaders of our classroom, and leaders of our future.

As educators, we pass these leadership skills onto our students because they are watching us every day. They watch us and our intentional actions. They see us come to school full of passion, and probably coffee, to educate them to the best of our abilities so that they can reach their fullest potential. They see us love, the verb, by providing them the education they need when they want to be outside playing. They see us serving them and sacrificing time for them, because they have a safe and happy place to come to every day, where someone cares and loves them. Our students look up to us every day as someone they can learn from, because we educate their future.

I would like to introduce you to your servant leaders, those that some of you look up to. A leader at your school, a leader in your region, a leader at the state level who has inspired you in some way, I’m sure, because they all inspire me every day.

The 2016-2017 Student PSEA Executive Board.

Meet your State Vice President, Maria Wittman Maria is a Senior Early Childhood and Special Education Major at Slippery Rock University.

Meet your State Secretary, Sam Nagel. Sam is a Senior Secondary Education and History Major at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg

Meet your State President-Elect, Marie Hutchings. Marie is a Junior Elementary and Special Education Major part of the Autism Endorsement Program at Kutztown University.

Meet you State PACE Director, Mallory Piercy. Mallory is a Junior Secondary Education English Major, Political Science Minor at Clarion University.

Meet Jess Porter, your Northwest Region President. Jess is a Junior Early Childhood and Special Education Major at Edinboro University.

Meet Haylie Schmidt, your Midwest Region President. Haylie is a Senior Early Childhood Education and Special Education Major at Slippery Rock University

Meet Victoria Rodriguez, your Western Region President. Victoria is a Senior Mathematics Major with Education and Special Education Certifications at Carlow University.

Meet Eli Imbrogno, your Southwestern Region President. Eli is a Senior Secondary Education and History Major at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

Meet Emilee Stoner, your Southern Region President. Emilee is a Junior Early Childhood and Special Education Major at Shippensburg University.

Meet Emily Waggoner, your Central West Region President. Emily is a Senior Early Childhood and Special Education Major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Meet Danielle Sral, your Central Region President. Danielle is a Senior Early Childhood and Adolescent Education Major, Special Education Minor at Penn State Altoona.

Meet Tara Hartman, your Northeast Region President. Tara is a fifth-year Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and Child, Family Studies with a concentrate in Education triple major, Psychology minor at Keystone College.

Meet Julianne Lowenstein, your Eastern Region President. Julianne is a Senior Early Childhood Education and French Major at Albright College.

Meet Emily Murray, your Southeast Region President. Emily is a Sophomore Early Grades and Special Education Major at West Chester University.

These individuals work hard year-round to create opportunities for you that follow Student PSEA’s four pillars. They are the backbone to this organization and are amazing servant leaders! Not only do we have these amazing Student PSEA servant leaders at the state and regional levels, there are many Student PSEA servant leaders that I know who lead on college campuses, and previous Student PSEA members who lead in classrooms, across Pennsylvania.

The following positions will be voted on at the 2017 Student PSEA State Conference in Greentree this April! (Mark your calendars)

Regional Positions

·         President

·         Vice President

·         Secretary

·         PACE

·         House of Delegates Representative

State Positions

·         President-Elect

·         Vice President

·         Secretary

·         PACE

I encourage you to take the Character Dare Challenge that has been posted on the Student PSEA Instagram over the last few months. Become intentional with your actions, love, the verb, serve and sacrifice, and become a servant leader. Start out small and go big. Become a leader in your college’s Student PSEA Chapter. Become a servant leader at the region level. Become a leader at the state level. Wherever your will leads you, follow it.

Should you have any questions about becoming a servant leader and want more information about any position, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself, your region president, or your chapter president.

Lead with passion and intention,

Shelby Pepmeyer

State President