My Very FIRST Assistant Principal’s Week

Wow!!!! What an amazing year of growing and learning I have had…and it’s NOT over yet!! I overheard a burnt out teacher say, “5 Fridays and 7 Mondays left” LOL 

As a first year AP, my current principal has been THE best motivation and mentor I’ve ever had! About seven years ago I had another principal that PUSHED me to get out of the classroom and expound on the talents and learning I had acquired in a ten year span. 

I work along side one of the most efficient and professional assistant principals I’ve encountered and he has helped to guide me daily through this journey! To say the least; my first year has been cultivated with support and for that; I thank God everyday along my drive to work. Thankful I wasn’t thrown into the fire without protection or support!

The journey hasn’t been easy, BUT, I can tell you I’m grateful for the experience…the experiences I WOULD change and those I wouldn’t! 

*Gifts provided by Caytlyn Stanley with Hospitality Health Er, Dr. Burchfield, and Mrs. Towels!

Leadership Styles

Around sometime last year a group of leaders and I brought up leadership style. We were asked how we viewed ourselves and leaders and what leadership meant to us. Ever since acquiring my master’s the first charge was recognizing my methodology and philosophy on leadership.

After vivid models from the professors teaching us, not to mention; the on the job training we learned through internship I recognized early on I identified most to Servant Leadership. Interestingly enough, during the meeting last year with the group I, again, identified myself as a servant leader. When I tell you it was one of the most taxing discussions I’ve ever had to have explaining what a servant leader meant and was. 

I would say they were jiving me by pretending not to understand servant leadership but I don’t think the group was that cohesive to come up with the elaborate scheme to trick me. 

I say all that to say; I’m glad to have come across this simplistic chart on leadership styles. 

World Dyslexia Day

Friday, October 15^th, is World Dyslexia Day. Greene Elementary encouraged staff and students to wear red today to promote awareness.

I joined along with my daughter to both support and show solidarity!

Pick Up Your Feelings

Until the acoustic version of this here song; I honestly didn’t know what the heck Jazmine was saying…but Hun. Nay! I love this little song. In. Every. Version. Before I knew what the words actually said I was just gibberish singing and my little four year old would come pick up behind me to sing (in harmony) 🎶 FEELINGS! 🎶 

Resounding

This daily motivation couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! 

It’s worth a screen shot if that’s your style. 

This is current events!

I left my comfort zone of, going into 17 years, because I needed to protect my peace at all cost. I wasn’t powerless, and neither are you if you feel at odds more times than not with a person or situation. You just have to use your power for good and cash OUT! 

That power I harnessed came at a cost. A bargain price of sanity, a little bit of anxiety, an entire expense of wonder, and tokens of change called perseverance; but in the end God took the tags off my peace and showed me there was NO value more comparable than standing on his promise! As a continual reminder God has the power to override the antics of Satan. Evil will NOT win. Evil does NOT win. 

I’m just grateful no matter how frivolous I may have been in the past, how cheap I was with my peace yesterday; God still SEES my heart! He looks from on high and still sees low!! He STILL offers me discernment! A discerning spirit to watch the company I keep and the words that leave from my lips! He is TOO good! 

He is SO good that our value has already been set by Him and no one can mark you down or clearance your gifts and talents! So I publicly say:

Thank you for the power to protect my PEACE

xoxo,

Staying prayed up in this next season!

If It’s Up, Then It’s Up

I heard a song and when I heard it; the beat was catchy, the lyrics; although not particularly any way I would EVER speak, spoke to me. Her first two lines of the track’s intro referenced a woman speaking unkindly about another woman and the reason...you guessed it- because of a man finding her attractive.

My mind went to something my mother told me as I was heading off to college. She said, “Khrystian; one thing is certain: you’ve never been in mess and you haven’t been involved in any messes, but one reason a girl will dislike you or attempt to cause you harm will be behind a man! And nine times out of ten the man won’t seriously want

her or you. Y’all are too young for all of that!”

My recollection might not be verbatim but that was most definitely the gist. She was right!! I never had a “real” boyfriend until in my late 20’s, early 30’s. I did, for a fact, have enemies because of them. Inboxes galore due to social media and lots of he said, she said. But nothing would’ve prepared me for marriage! 

Everyone was quiet as church mice while we dated. He courted me heavily so we were always together, but Bay. Bey. Marriage! 

That man proposed and my inbox flooded from random faceless accounts...one had the audacity to use her real account but her approach was respectful and to clear a name she thought I’d been privy too. Little did she know; she wasn’t in my radar by not even a thousand mile radius headed east or west. Chicks racked up my number, stalking me, you name it, I just might have experienced it. I’ve never been approached or confronted negatively with any name-calling but I’ve definitely “heard” things through the dustiest grapevine imaginable just as the song mentioned.

Honestly, it’s always the insecure girl name-calling. Upset because a man she wanted, wants someone else....and my Lord...when he solidifies it, no matter how much lying he did to maintain that insecure girl. She’s hurt. But instead of taking her frustrations out on the man that misled her. Taking her anger out on the man that abused her. Taking her rage out on the man that used her. Taking her emptiness out on the man that mishandled her. Taking her bitterness out on the man that betrayed her little heart. Taking her brokenness out on the man that disregarded her. Taking her fury out on the man that discarded her...

She’d rather trash-talk the woman HE CHOSE. Cardi B has been there before like so many of us. Somebody is there right now and then there’s someone who’s headed to it. One thing I do know, two things for sure. I’m an adult and a lady. The only man I would ever physically fight behind is NOW...my son. You almost really can’t miss me with my daddy or brother but above that; I most definitely will not and ain’t (yes I said ain’t) fighting over no man! I don’t condone fighting and it’s classless.

“Once upon a time I heard that I was ugly. Came from a chick who’s man wants to (MARRY) me.” 🎶 🎵 

(I can’t bring myself to use the vulgarities of the song on my blog. Listen to the song to hear the real lyrics in full if you’d like.) Yes, we are all grown, but I’m still a laaaaaay daaaay- in my Sheneneh Jenkins voice. 

Chicken Salad: SGG Eats! Food Chronicles

I don’t know too many people that don’t like a good chicken salad. For me; it’s turned into a quick, simple lunch dish to eat (before my baby weight loss journey, on bread) with wheat crackers, or wrapped in lettuce, or simply with a fork.

My recipe is simple:

Chicken (usually canned or chopped from leftovers), mayonnaise, spicy sweet relish, purple onion, onion and garlic powders, celery seed, then mustard (I use jalapeño mustard- I love spicy food, although it doesn’t actually make it spicy just sassy!) 

I’m no executive chef but it’s good to me!