The other day I listened to a friend of mine share her experiences in her 5th grade class. She lamented how difficult it is to teach today and gave examples of how students have changed. One of her friends replied: “We would never have said such a thing to one of our teachers!” As I thought about it, I realized she was right; I would never have done the things some of my students do, but again, things have changed. The education system has changed and continues to change. It makes sense that the role of the teacher would also change. Teachers are no longer seen as all-knowing and can no longer run their classrooms like dictatorships, because their parents and teachers teach children from a young age to question and think critically, so that they are less likely to accept the status quo and follow like sheep. As a result, teachers need to start rethinking how they lead their classrooms and, more importantly, rethink how they lead. Instead of placing themselves above their students, some suggest that teachers should take on the role of servant leader. Although many do not consider themselves servants to their students, others would say that the role of a teacher is inherently one of servitude. This dilemma raises the question: Are teachers servant leaders? To attempt to answer such a question, it is necessary to first understand what it means to be a servant leader. Robert K. Greenleaf (1977) suggests that “the servant leader is first and foremost a servant. It starts with the feeling that we want to serve. Then, conscious choice leads us to lead…The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant to ensure that the highest priority needs of others are met” (p. 22). This is...... middle of article...... The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 78 (6), 257-259. Crippen, C. (2005). The democratic school: first serve, then lead. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, (47), 1-17. Herman, D.V. and Marlowe, M. (2005). Making life meaningful: The teacher as servant leader. Reclaiming Children and Youth: The Journal of Strength-based Interventions, 14 (3), 175-178. Jennings, K. and Stahl-Wert, J. (2003). The chef on duty. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler. Spears, L.C. and Lawrence, M. (2002). Focus on leadership: servant leadership for the 21st century. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Retrieved July 24, 2010 from NetLibrary: www.netlibrary.comGreenleaf, RK (1977). Servant leadership. In JT Wren The Leader's Companion: Insights into Leadership Through the Ages (pp. 18-23). New York: the free press.