Recent Consulting Experience in New Orleans, LA. and Lithonia, GA.

This was my first time going back to New Orleans after Katrina.  I did not know what the situation would be like but I was humbled by the experience.  I could feel the sorrow coming from the ground mixed with the hope of a new beginning.  In fact I was working at St. Mary's Academy, one of the oldest Catholic schools in the United States that was located on the East side of New Orleans.  The school was destroyed by Katrina and rebuilt from the ground up.  Before Katrina the school, predominantly African- American had an enrollment of around 800 students but post Katrina they went down to only 400 students but the desire to teach was stronger than ever and I knew that it would be a great day!

Despite the heat the one day training was amazing.  I love working with educators who never forget where they came from and maintain their eagerness to learn more and grow themselves.  At one point in a room filled with over 75 educators you could hear a pin drop because we were all focused on becoming better in the classroom.  I have no doubt that St. Mary's will do great things for their students and families that attend that school.  The Nuns and administrators were in a class all by themselves.  Sister Mary Lou is a wonderful role model to what servant leadership is all about.  When it was time to leave the school I did not want to go but I knew I needed to.  Something very special happened at St. Mary's and I pray that I will have an opportunity somehow to continue working with this group of special Godly people.

Then it was off to Atlanta, Georgia to prepare for a consulting day in Lithonia, GA at Leadership Preparatory Academy Charter School located on the campus of Bishop Eddie Long's Church.  The campus was mesmerizing and looked like a small college campus.  When I arrived Dr. Callahan was waiting for me and had big expectations regarding what their school would receive for that day.  I was ready for some challenges but embraced the agenda we had before us.  I knew that I could deliver because one of my core values in life is to delight people...to exceed expectations so my desire is and always will be to go above and beyond the expectations being set.  I met a new friend who worked both for the school and for the church named Mrs. Varner who ended up inviting me to dinner with her husband for a southern hospitality home cooked meal.  I was overwhelmed by their hospitality and generous heart to love others.  The dinner was amazing and I believe I have another set of parents in Lithonia, GA.  What I learned through the entire experience is that sometimes total strangers will treat you better than those who claim to be closest to you.  I have worked and done life with some folks for over 15 years and they have never...ever invited me and my family over to their home for anything, yet a total stranger opens her home in love and feeds me.  I must admit that more than my stomach got feed that day...my soul opened up to expanding my circle of influence to include those who celebrate my successes and not tolerate or even worse criticize them.  Experience has taught me that those that criticize the most are the least accomplished at achieving greatness in their own lives...so the best advice is to remove them from your circle and move on!

The training went so well I was asked to come back later that evening and speak to over 300 parents and students for their Back to School Night orientation.  After I finished many parents came up to me and asked me questions about my past, my successes at Harvard, and past struggles as a young boy without a father figure in my life.  In the end, we laughed, we cried, and I extended my family to include the folks in Lithonia, GA. who were determined to be the best and live a life of destiny and not a life a chance.  I too hope that other doors will open and that greater opportunities will present themselves to return to Leadership Preparatory Academy Charter School.  The best and most blessed is truly still to come!