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

2016 Election

Election Video

Campaigning for the 2016 election began almost one year ago. I know that at the very beginning I didn’t know who I was voting for and I’m sure most of you didn’t either. But I did know one thing – whoever I voted for was going to support public education.

As future educators, you know this is an important election. This year, PSEA has charged us with the task of voting for a 102/26 pro-public education majority. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering, what does that even mean? Electing a 102/26 pro-public education majority means that we would be electing 102 pro-public education state representatives and 26 pro-public education state senators. This means that more than half of the state representatives and state senators would be pro-public education. How awesome would it be for us to know that the majority of lawmakers would have our backs as educators?

However, according to PSEA’s analysis, we are not quite there yet. To get to that 102/26 threshold means adding at least four more pro-public educators in the House, and four more in the Senate. We have until November 8th to have our voices heard to make this a reality.

"We don't divide legislators by their political parties; it doesn't matter if they are Democrats or Republicans. We are looking for 102 members of the House and 26 members of the Senate who will stand with students and educators.'' -Jerry Oleksiak, PSEA President

That’s right, party doesn’t matter! We as educators are responsible for more than just our personal political views when it comes to voting. We are responsible for our students and their education.

I’m sure you’re wondering, why are we so worried about legislators? What do they do to help us as educators? Let me ask you these questions in return – how do we get state funding restored to our schools? Stop attacks on public employees' pensions?  End anti-labor attacks? Limit the toxic consequences of standardized testing? We vote for pro-public education candidates!

Legislators are making key decisions about our futures in our classrooms that will affect our students. Legislators make the decisions day in and day out about what we can teach in our classrooms, how we are evaluated as teachers, what benefits we’ll receive, and the pay we earn to support our families and futures. We need to talk to our friends, families, colleagues, and teammates, and tell them their future as educators is in the hands of those who will be voting on November 8th.

In 2008, 44 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. In the 2012 election, only 38 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. In 2014, only 17 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted. These are extremely low numbers. This year, we need to change these numbers. We need to show everyone that we care about our futures and we care about our students. We need to VOTE! We need to let our voices be heard and we need to stand up for public education and our rights as future educators. We need to stand up for our future students and their education because after all, they are the reason we do what we love!

Whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent, on November 8th, you need to make your voice heard and vote for candidates who will see you through your future as an educator and support you as you work at a job that is so rewarding that you love!

Some of you may find yourself wondering, how am I supposed to know who to vote for?

Visit https://www.psea.org/vote/ for more information about voting and your PSEA-PACE recommended candidates.

Visit https://www.psea.org/general.aspx?id=13603 to learn more about how to elect a pro-public education majority.

Share the Schoolhouse Ballot, found at https://schoolhouseballot.com/, with your family, friends, and neighbors so they can find their pro-public education candidates. This resource is open to the non-members.

Follow Schoolhouse Ballot on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on election news, political issue briefs, candidate videos, and side-by-side comparisons.

To find out if you’re eligible to vote via absentee ballot and to download an absentee ballot, visit http://www.votespa.com/en-us/voting-and-elections/types-of-voting/Pages/Absentee-Ballot.aspx

Visit https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/ to electronically fill out an absentee ballot!

I’LL SEE YOU AT THE POLLS!

-Shelby Pepmeyer

Student PSEA President

I am Shelby Pepmeyer

Hello, Student PSEA members! My name is Shelby Pepmeyer and I am a senior at Clarion University. I’m majoring in early childhood and special education. I’m also your 2016-2017 Student PSEA president.

I grew up in Butler, PA, and am a western Pennsylvania girl through and through. I love the Pirates and the Steelers, and will take any opportunity to make it to a game. I always knew I wanted to be an educator, but I never knew that my dream would lead me here.

When I made the decision to attend Clarion, I never imagined I would be so involved on campus and in the community. At orientation, my mom tried to get me to sign up for every organization that we walked past in the library. At the time, I didn’t realize that this was the tiny keyhole look at what the rest of my college career would be like. Since coming to Clarion, I have been very involved in extracurricular activities. Most of these have been education related, but I have stepped out of my comfort zone and become involved with other activities and organizations as well.

I’m currently president of Clarion Students Educating Young Children, and a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon Delta, and Clarion Student Council for Exceptional Children. I was a 2015 Junior Homecoming Court member and I’m a Community Service Day Team Leader and a Golden Heart for the fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. I have made every effort to become involved on campus because I believe that you should take every opportunity presented to you, as everything happens for a reason.

I wouldn’t be where I am without the help of my best friend. During my freshman year, I joined two of the three education organizations on campus. One of these was Clarion Student PSEA. I attended the state conference in the spring of 2014 in Erie, and fell even more in love with Student PSEA. It was one of the best experiences of my college career to that point and I was so excited to bring that experience back to campus to share with other members. 

At the end of freshman year, when elections for organizations rolled around, I was elected the vice president of Clarion Student PSEA. My best friend was the new president of Clarion Student PSEA, as well as the new Midwest Region president. Being vice president of my chapter was a great starting point to get involved and build myself as a leader alongside someone who supported me as much as he did. That was the beginning of my never-ending amazing experiences with Student PSEA. 

In the spring of 2015, Clarion Student PSEA attended state conference again in Hershey. At this conference, it was announced that they would be adding the position of president-elect to the Executive Board. When it was time for nominations, my best friend looked at me and said, “I think you would be really amazing in this position.” I had the support of all my friends from Clarion who attended the conference and they all encouraged me to run for the position. I typically am very shy and was very hesitant about throwing my name in, but my best friend insisted and he nominated me for the position.

This position was the only contested election at the 2015 state conference. After votes were tallied, I had won the position with 50 percent of the votes. I was ecstatic! I couldn’t even begin to think of how much my life would change in such a short amount of time. Even better, I had my best friend right by my side with me through this whole experience, as he was elected the new Student PSEA-PACE chair. We were doing amazing things together and he was my rock through it all. If it wasn’t for him believing in me and telling me that I could do it, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing to you all and telling you about my experiences.

I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I ran for this position, but it has been nothing short of amazing! I have learned so much about our union and about PSEA as a whole. I’ve had so many awesome professional development experiences, and developed a support team of friends who are more like family and who build me up whenever I am feeling down. To me, Student PSEA does not only mean professional development, community service, leadership and membership development, and political action and advocacy. It is so much more. Student PSEA is friendships, family, life lessons, and life-changing experiences.

My goals for this year are for Student PSEA chapters to communicate more effectively within their regions, for Region EAs to communicate more with their Student PSEA members, to increase active membership, and to create more interregional events. Already, we have begun to build these relationships and have had so much support from our EAs. I have high hopes for the 2016-2017 Executive Board, because just like Student PSEA, they are amazing! They represent our mission, vision, values, and goals more than anyone I have ever encountered.

We are Student PSEA. We are Professional Development, Community Service, Leadership & Membership Development, and Political Action & Advocacy. We are family.

Dear aspiring educator, you are building the future. Go forth with confidence, hold your head up high, and be a leader. For someday, one of your students will look back and say, “I am here because my teacher believed in me,” just like I believe in you. You can do it, you will do it, and you will be successful. Believe it.

“Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it.” – We Bought a Zoo

I am Shelby Pepmeyer. This is my story. What is yours?