Tag: chaos

Giving love and support to those that need it most!

Giving love and support to those that need it most!

I have had an extremely tough semester for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because I have students that truly and desperately need support and guidance.  The mixture of high school students I have has made teaching exceptionally difficult and left me grasping for ways to efficiently teach consumer education to a range of students whose learning levels range from elementary to college.  The learning differentiation isn’t my only obstacle, though!  The students I am teaching have a large range of lifestyles and home environments that impact how they view education, their ability to work outside of school, and how much support they receive at home.  This is the reality for so many teachers and I  know I am not the exception.

Combine my class concerns with some of the school dynamics I have faced including not having a classroom – wheeling around a cart to four different rooms throughout the day to teach has been a chaotic, mountain-climbing adventure.  To add to the mountain, I had some students going through some major life struggles which included me assisting with several emotionally and mentally draining situations that has left me feeling unsettled on more than one occasion.  Additionally, I teach in some classrooms with computers and in other classrooms with no computers which creates another level of structured chaos when it comes to planning lessons, adding another piece to my puzzle that I have to carefully put together.

BUT, there is a silver lining and there actually always is one no matter what the situation is!  My students may show a long list of emotions in the classroom because of their diverse backgrounds that range from anger, happiness, sadness, frustration, bitterness, humor, fun, and every emotion in between.  Each with a unique personality and style, but many of them with their own baggage, their own insecurities, their own challenges and successes, and most of all their own story.  A story that is sometimes broken, sometimes not broken, and sometimes underdeveloped.  I sometimes feel an overwhelming amount of chaos when there is a group of such a variety in my hands because it makes for a very stressful semester, but these are the students that need love, guidance, and support the most.  I became their teacher for a reason and that’s just the reason.  To provide that support, guidance, and nurturing that they so desperately need.  While it hasn’t been easy and I won’t even pretend that it has, it has been meaningful to be able to recognize and understand that my role is to nurture, comfort, and give to these students the support, guidance, and appreciation that they so need at such a crucial time in their lives.  And, no matter what there is definitely some learning happening…some learning from me, some learning from each other, sometimes the students teaching me, but more than anything some much needed nurturing, guidance, and support.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Reach out and touch a heart!

Reach out and touch a heart!

A day is often filled with lots of stressors, usually things that make life a bit chaotic, but there are so many little moments in-between that make life amazing and worth all those exhausting and stressful moments.  As a teacher, I love the little things that make my students smile, laugh, and allow me to see a different side of them or witness them in a different light, even for just a minute or two.

I am like any tired teacher, CEO, janitor, parent, customer service representative, lawyer, doctor, etc because I am often overwhelmed by my post-it note reminders and to-do lists.  I have had some tough days lately filled with anxiety, tears, and even questioning what I am doing as a teacher.  I had a few patches with several complex situations (actually, three specific stressors) that made my life feel like it was spinning in circles.

During those spinning circles, there were two students that made an impact on my life.  One student who had been struggling recently came to me and asked if I could help her with finding a job.  As a Business Teacher, I was thrilled to be able to offer her assistance and that she showed such motivation by coming in after school to get help.  I answered her questions and assisted with a resume.  She was thrilled by the small amount of help that I had offered.  The next day she came in very excited to tell me that she had an interview coming up.  It was actually one of the first times I had seen her smile and saw such emotion in her personality.  I was very excited for her.  I congratulated her and told her I wanted updates on the job (basically so that I could cheer her on along the way as she started this new adventure).

This next young lady asked the most simple question, but it left a smile upon my face.  She is a quiet student and I really haven’t gotten to know her that well since it’s a new semester.  She’s always been very respectful and honest, but I could never tell whether she likes my class, hates my class, or just tolerates it since it’s her consumer education credit.  She came up to me at the end of class and in the most innocent and sweet voice she said, “I applied for a job, Mrs. Jamieson.”  I said, “That’s great, I hope you get it!”  She followed that with, “I did the online application, but I have this feeling that I should call or do something else, but I don’t even know what I would even say.”  I was impressed with her admission and how candid she was with me.  After all, I didn’t realize she trusted me or felt comfortable in my class yet (mostly because she’s quiet).  I said, “I would actually go to the place you applied and tell them you submitted an online application.  Explain to them that you wanted to confirm that they received it and hope they contact you soon to discuss the position.”  I explained to her that this gives the employer a chance to see her and it may set her apart from other applicants that don’t follow through after they submit the application.  She told me she felt relieved about what would come next.  She smiled and as she left, I said, “You know this means you have to keep me posted on your job prospects and how it goes!”

What’s the point of these two stories?  It’s quite simple.  Reach out and help others, touch their heart and in turn it will touch yours.  These young ladies did just as much, if not more, for me as I did for them.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Penciling in your workout!

Penciling in your workout!

I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the trials and tribulations, chaos and exhaustion that life often throws at people since fall semester often means going back to school, preparing lunches again for kids, and after school sports and activities.  Further, people have surgery that you need to help take care of, you start a family, and you have unexpected work obligations and travel.  While all these tend to throw a curve ball, it doesn’t give you the excuse to skip your workout.  Working out helps reduce stress and relieve the tension that gets built up from the day.  When life gets busy, change your workout or rotate the days you do certain workouts so that a recovery workout might fall on a busier day, but still allows you to workout in some capacity.  Many, if not all of us, hold very busy lives and feel as though we never have enough time in the day, let alone time to set aside for exercising.  That’s everyone, right?!   We may not all have children, aging parents, a house to take care of, pets to walk, etc, but we do all have obligations and priorities to balance.

While you may not have a half hour, an hour, or even an hour and a half to dedicate to exercising or personal wellness each day, you do have small increments of time that can be used to exercise.  For example, you may have a 15 minute break at work where you can take a walk, do some jumping jacks and push-ups, go up and down the stairs, or sit at your desk and do leg lifts and weights (keep a set in the office to make it easy on yourself).  Two 15 minute breaks will allow you to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day.  Don’t get any breaks at work or it isn’t something that is consistent?  Stop spending so much time on Facebook, Twitter, Pineterst, and other social media websites every single day, every single hour.  I hear people say all the time, “I am so busy I barely have time to keep up with my house, my friends and family, my pets, and still sit down and relax.”  This is a huge pet peeve when most people spend hours on Facebook ad social media or watching television.  If you have time to look at random Facebook statuses all day, then believe me, I promise you have time to set aside 30 minutes to take care of your mind and body.  And guess what?  All those Facebook statuses, Twitter feed updates, and Pinterest projects will still be waiting for you when you are done!  Remember your health is more important than sitting for 3 or more hours on social media sites, so rather than skip a workout, delay it if you need to!

With unexpected work obligations and travel, consider a workout that can be done using only your body and can be done almost anywhere with a small amount of space such as in a hotel room.  For example, crunches, push-ups, jumping jacks, and other 20-30 minute workouts can be done doing repetitive sets of exercises that only require using your own body weight!  These exercises are not only convenient, but also tend to be less intrusive on your joints than machines.  For me, using my body weight versus using machines is the best change I have made in my life to improve my workouts and make me feel so much better!  I try to remind everyone, we are all different, so what works for me may not work for you, but I do hope my tips and tricks may provide guidance and encouragement!

Your workout should fit your schedule and lifestyle because this is what helps you stay on track, prevents you from skipping workouts, and from giving up.  If that means yoga and a walk at 6:30am so that you can get your workout done before work then you should do that.  A workout could be two 15 minute breaks during the day or over your lunch, a group fitness class or club that meets 3 times a week, it could be working out with your kids during the day, taking your baby and a jogging stroller to your gym and running on the track, yard work, doing exercises every time you get up to make copies at work, etc.  Your workout can fit into any small windows of time that you have rather than feeling like you need to have a block of time set aside.  If you “pencil in your workout” at the beginning of each day, it has been shown that you are more likely to exercise and meet your fitness goals.

~jj

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