by Jason Epting

My Origin Story
My story begins in a big family. I am one of nine children, all with the same initials JCE. As the third oldest, I always felt called to take on a leadership role. At home I often played school with my brothers and sisters, and I was both the teacher and the principal. Caring for my younger siblings and watching over my older ones taught me that leadership is service. Those experiences shaped how I saw education as a path to build, guide, and inspire.

My father was a tall man with a gentle presence. People called him a teddy bear, and children were drawn to him wherever he went. I realized later that I carried that same gift. Even as a child, kids in stores or neighborhoods would stand beside me and start conversations. That connection with young people never left me. It became clear that I was called to education, both as a career and as a way of life.

I never sought out leadership roles, but they kept finding me. From sports teams to schools, I was asked to step up. While my first love will always be the classroom, I accepted those roles as opportunities to expand my impact. Serving as a dean, a principal, a superintendent, and now as director of facilitation and engagement, I see each role as a way to serve with integrity and to help others thrive.

Anchoring My Priorities
Balancing leadership, family, and personal growth requires clarity. For me, priorities begin with my relationship with the creator. That relationship shapes everything else. Through meditation and reflection, I find guidance that helps me stay grounded in purpose.
From that foundation, I commit myself to my wife and my children. My family receives the same energy and presence that I give in professional spaces. When I align these priorities in the right order, everything else falls into place. Work, leadership, and community service become expressions of my deeper values.

Organization plays an important role. I schedule time for family, faith, and work with intention. By treating each as sacred, I avoid losing myself in one identity at the expense of another. Balance is never perfect, but with awareness and discipline, I can live with purpose across every part of my life.

Living Through Many Identities
I am a husband, a father, an educator, a leader, and a community member. I carry all these identities at once, and I view them as connected rather than separate. Teaching prepared me to become a father, and being a father sharpened my skills as an educator. Each role has deepened the others.

Challenges arise when time and energy stretch too thin. Early in my career, I worked long hours at school, only to return home exhausted. I learned to recalibrate, to assess what mattered most, and to reset my focus. Listening to truth from people I trusted helped me grow past mistakes and refine how I showed up.

I see my life as a whole rather than as separate roles. Whether in the classroom, at home, or in the community, I strive to be authentic and aligned with my values. Each role is an extension of the same purpose: to serve, uplift, and help others see their own divinity.

Lessons in Leadership
Leadership is more than titles or authority. It is the ability to inspire people to follow with trust and conviction. A leader must know themselves, act with humility, and build relationships rooted in authenticity. Pride and ego create distance. Vulnerability and honesty create connection.
True leadership also requires discernment. Leaders must know their people and understand when a situation demands creativity or courage. Following a script will never be enough. Every community is different, and every team requires unique care.

I remind leaders to see themselves as stewards. Their task is to guide, empower, and multiply impact. Real power comes when the people you lead become leaders themselves. That transformation is the true measure of leadership.

Advice for Educators and Leaders
My advice to educators is to lean into the part of the work you love most. For me, it was teaching. I poured myself into becoming a master teacher, refining lessons minute by minute. That passion became the foundation for everything else. Leadership roles grew from that strength.
I also encourage leaders to see growth as a journey. Just as Avatar Aang in The Last Airbender had to learn all the elements, leaders must develop skills in culture, curriculum, operations, and facilitation. Each element matters, and each requires practice.

Above all, build strong relationships. Sit with parents in their homes. Share meals. Listen deeply to students and colleagues. Relationships outlast programs or policies, and they create trust that makes real change possible.

What Comes Next
Looking ahead, I believe that education will evolve beyond slogans and labels. Words like diversity, equity, and inclusion may shift, but the work of cultural competence must continue. We need educators who respect all cultures, celebrate differences, and honor every child’s story.

Progress will also mean focusing on outcomes. Students in every community deserve proficiency and opportunity. That requires teachers who are passionate, prepared, and committed to excellence. Shortages cannot be solved by simply filling seats with anyone available. We need the right people with the right purpose. I believe we can reach that future. Every day we wake up is a new chance to build schools that affirm identity, deliver quality, and create joy in learning.

Gratitude for the Journey
I want to thank every educator and leader who continues to serve with heart. Your work matters. When you honor your priorities, balance your identities, and see the divinity in others, you transform lives. Together, we can continue to build schools and communities where everyone thrives.