passion and career

Today, I rejoined the ranks, I stepped foot on the grounds of our high school, as assistant principal. It felt amazing. Filled with mixed emotions, I woke up way before my alarm and furiously began jotting down notes. I am not new to the assistant principalship, but this is a new adventure at a school that once was like home to me. There was a gnawing deep in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to get it right. I scribbled more frantically. “Begin how you want to end” has been my mantra. What would I want this new staff to know about me? Here’s what I came up with.

From your new assistant principal: Some things you need to know about me

  • I believe in honesty and transparency. So in the spirit of that, I’m going to keep it real.
  • I believe in striving for excellence and I believe in professionalism.
    • Excellence is always the goal and sometimes we fall short but as long as we continue to strive for excellence and better ourselves everyday – that’s all I can ask.
    • Always expect a professional response from me because I will always expect one from you.
      • Be on time
      • Show up with a good attitude prepared and READY to work
        • Ready includes having created lesson plans and created a environment ripe for learning.
  • Expectations – We can’t hold students to high expectations and not set high expectations for ourselves
    • My expectations for myself, for you, and our students are high
  • Academics and student growth are our priorities. PERIOD.
  • I believe in accountability but I know it goes both ways
    • We are going to hold each other accountable and celebrate when we get it right.
    • l want to talk about accountability for just a minute longer – this is usually where people can become more sensitive because nobody wants to have those conversations. We all would prefer to get accolades and accomplishments. Tough conversations are how we make gains – how we grow. I’ll be honest, it’s not going to always feel good.  So while it might be tough – I can promise that it won’t be personal-always professional. it’ll be what’s right for students and it will come from a place of respect and support.
  • I want you to always be able to see the warm, bubbly, and smiling side of Mrs. Kinard and there are only a few things that make her go away. 🙂
    • not doing what’s right for students
    • acting unprofessionally
    • bad attitude – the job is hard enough as it. The least we can do is remember we are on the same team