As a veteran educator with over 20 years of experience in the field, Leshaun Jenkins began a new chapter of his career for the 2022-23 academic year. After serving in the interim position for the final three months of school in 2022, Jenkins entered his first official year as principal at W.A. Pattillo Middle School in Edgecombe County.

EdNC invited him to share his day-to-day leadership journey for the school year via a diary on social media. Click here to access the feature article that details Jenkins’ path to becoming a principal.

‘I was planted here’

As shown in the reaction to his announcement, Jenkins was overwhelmingly embraced with celebration at the news of the diary. Over the year, his followers and the public gained insight to the joys, challenges, responsibilities, and lessons that he experienced. As his second entry mentions, throughout it all, Jenkins remained assured that he was “planted,” not buried, at W.A. Pattillo Middle School with a purpose.

The entire thread may be found on Facebook under #PrincipalDiary. Below are selections from the diary and messages from some of his staff members, in addition to reflections offered by Jenkins from what he has dubbed his “Rookie Season.” 

Facing the challenges

For Jenkins, it was no surprise that the year would be filled with various obstacles to hurdle. Throughout the diary, he mentions the work-related struggles, such as “principal anxiety,” around testing or managing the onslaught of tasks on his to-do list.

However, as displayed in entry #48, Jenkins states that “the most challenging moments really were when it comes to a lot of things happening in the community near our school throughout the year.”

In the face of neighborhood shootings and other travesties, Jenkins understood that “how I respond to a traumatic experience in the community has a lot to do how my kids will respond.” Often, these circumstances immediately brought into question how the events would impact the kids, or how something in the community may bleed into the school, intentionally or unintentionally.

According to Jenkins, moments as such is what create a heavy lift mentally and emotionally. He further stated that even if he was a 10-year principal, “that’s not a reality that ever gets easier.”

A culture of joy and celebration

Despite having the interim role, Jenkins said that he understood he would still be up against a lot of things when rebranding the school.

His mindset was centered on helping “people understand this is an environment that is conducive for progress and personal development.” Furthermore, he wanted to be intentional about creating a space where there’s constant praise and recognition — where celebration is a constant. As shown in the posts below, this past school year was, in fact, nothing short of celebration for Pattillo Middle School.

When reflecting on highlights from the year, Jenkins referenced the very beginning, when Pattillo created an airline theme throughout the entire school, including many staff members dressing up as airline stewards and pilots. This set the bar for the school and was followed by a middle school homecoming, several spirit weeks, building-wide competitions, visits from professional athletes and college students, and so much more.

Post #99 shows that the energy flowed both ways, demonstrated by the dinner, affirmation, and Pattillo color way Air Jordan 1’s that Jenkins’ staff gifted him for National Principal’s Day.

Regarding his commitment to being intentional behind celebration, Jenkins stated “I want every little thing to be a big deal at Pattillo.”

Lessons and reflections

As someone who has always set high expectations for himself, Jenkins shared that one of the greatest lessons that he continues to learn is offering grace.

Noted in entry #10, on the days where he may come up short, he recognized that, “the same grace and space that I offer my kids and staff daily; I too deserve that!”

In addition to self care and celebration, two primary reflection points for Jenkins pertained to the power of community and relationships with families.

Being native to the area, as well as having a lengthy resume in both education and coaching, all factored into Jenkins’ connectivity to the community. However, he was still intentional about expanding his community relationships and partnerships.

Jenkins said that the list of supporters is long. One organization that he specifically named is the Pattillo Alumni Association. Stemming from the days when Pattillo was a high school, Jenkins said the collective still has a heart for the school and appreciates the contributions to the school’s continued success.

Also, among the list of supporters are the parents of his students. Jenkins asserts that parental engagement is vital to the success of a school. He shared that even if he is not available at the very moment a parent requests an unscheduled meeting, he at least makes an effort to briefly greet them face-to-face to communicate his care for the matter, followed by his availability.

Being intentional in his relationships with parents is important because he wants them to try to understand the depths that the school team goes to for their children, “to mold and shape their kid into, whatever it is they feel that they can be.”

End of the rookie season

It was only fitting that Jenkins completed his principal diary the same way he started the school year: by celebrating. Entry #118 was completed on his birthday.

As seen below, he expressed his gratitude for all those who have supported and engaged with his journey thus far. As he prepares for all that the summer has to offer, Jenkins offered a message directly to principals preparing to enter the first year:

First year principles, don’t allow yourself to feel like you are on an island on your own. Sometimes being a principal can get very lonely. I think being a principal and pastoring are very similar. You’re responsible for a lot of flock. No matter what you got going on in your own life, you still have to show up and be present for people. I heard T.D. Jakes say that ‘sometimes you give people all your encouragement only to leave discouraged.’ You’re not alone, you’re not on an island by yourself, reach out to ask for help if you need it.

Leshaun Jenkins, principal W.A. Pattillo Middle School

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Messages to Mr. Jenkins

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I have seen all different styles of leadership … Mr. Jenkins is just different.

He’s big on relationships. When I say that, not only just teacher-student relationships, he’s big on staff relationships, he’s big on school culture. Of course he believes in building a positive culture; he doesn’t want people coming to work uncomfortable or people not feeling safe in the space that they work in. He also he has an environment where there’s an open door policy.

Some days, it doesn’t feel like school … It’s been a very rewarding experience. Even though I’ve been in this leadership role for a while, and I’ve been in education for a while, this has been different. Just this year alone, it has been different, and I do believe that’s because he has set systems in place and processes in place so that there’s never a question about what we should be doing or how we should be doing it … if it goes wrong, we followed the process, so let’s learn from it, and let’s move on, let’s discover next steps.

If I ever decided to branch out and apply for principalship, I will definitely adopt his style of leadership, because it’s the best I’ve ever seen … his style of leadership is one that I’ve never seen before.

He’s a first-year principal and it seems as if he’s ‘been there, done that,’ but I guess when God gifts you with certain things, you just have it. You just have that gift.

Keeping pushing, Mr. Jenkins.

Shanetta Pittman, assistant principal at Pattillo Middle School