True leaders are characterized by the personal virtues of honor, integrity, and devotion, all based on internally derived standards. Our current educational system, however, succeeds in fostering the virtues of conformity to and acceptance of externally derived standards rather than the characteristics of leadership. If excellence is to be attained, educators must exhibit honor and integrity in their devotion to developing honor, integrity, and devotion to excellence in their students. High standards must be set and the effort to achieve high standards must be modeled. The purpose of education should be to help students become their own best teachers and to take control of and responsibility for their own learning. (PGD)