school – Jenna Jamieson, Author

Sprinkle kindness everywhere!

By Jenna Jamieson | January 6, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

It’s been a great month because kindness is floating around everywhere. From kindness days at my high school to the amazing night I had when I went to speak to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) group in Carbondale. It was such a pleasure to meet and interact with such a lovely group of women who are dedicated to making their community and the world a better place for others. I felt honored to be invited to speak to them about my Backpacks for Success project and my passion for giving back and helping others.

Backpacks for Success is a community project that I started so that I could give back to students that cannot afford backpacks and basic school supplies. This is the third year I’ve coordinated it and each year it seems to get bigger and bigger. This group was phenomenal to speak with because they do so many amazing things in the community. In fact, one of the coolest parts that I learned that evening is I actually had the grandson of the women who invited me to speak in my one of my classes at the high school. Small world!

Lastly, kindness days at the high school were fun, but the best thing about it is the door that my mom helped me create to correlate with our kindness message. We created a door that emphasized what I think it important – sprinkling and spreading kindness everyday to as many people as possible. Help make the world better by doing one random act of kindness at a time. Happy 2019 – may you embark on my #ProjectKindnessBook challenge and spread more kindness where you live!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Making ‘thank you’ your regular reality.

By Jenna Jamieson | June 30, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

The last week of school I wanted my students to be extremely comfortable with the concepts and topics that we had covered over the 18 week semester. Further, it was important to me that the students could look beyond the test and the multiple choice questions. I really hoped that they could apply the information on taxes, checking and savings accounts, and renting an apartment after graduating high school. Midway through the week, I had a rather shy student come up to me and in the most genuine voice say, “Thank you so much for reviewing with us this week, Mrs. Jamieson. I really appreciate all the time you have spent to do this.” It was a simple gesture, but meant a lot that he chose to say that. A simple thank you really is as easy as that!

My first year of teaching at my current school I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants during parts of the semester. I started in the middle of the year and had very little prep time to get a classroom ready and activities prepared for class. I remember toward the end of the semester receiving a card in my mailbox. I opened that card to find a thank you note written from one of my students. He was thanking me for being his teacher. He wanted me to know that he thought I was doing a great job. It meant a lot to me to receive that note. I felt so lucky to have such a genuinely kind and appreciative student. And, to this day, I still have that note.

While those thank yous really inspire me and give new perspective, sending and giving thank yous is what really makes my heart happy. I love seeing others when they feel appreciated or surprised by a gesture of kindness. I recently went to a conference that had a small team that worked extremely hard to plan meaningful sessions. I could tell they worked long hours and had planned for months upon months. I sent a personal thank you card to each person on that team to show my genuine appreciation for the work they had done. So often we attend large events, galas, conferences, or fundraisers that caused a group (often small) to work their butts off to make it a phenomenal time for others. It is usually nice for someone to acknowledge their work and the time they spent to execute it.

Recently, I had a friend who was getting ready to leave the school I am at to start a new adventure. We were not close friends, in fact, I only knew him on a small level. Before he went back to his city life, I wanted him to know how much I appreciated meeting him and having him as an aide for the very short time that we worked together. He was delightfully surprised by the thank you, which is one of the best ways to thank someone! Lastly, I chose to take bagels and cream cheese from Panera to an office where I do a very small amount of contractual work. It’s a small group of very hard working individuals who are very kind and friendly toward me. I randomly thought it would be fun to surprise them to let them know that I see how hard they work each day. I got there with the bagels in hand and they were thrilled. The director came to me and said, “We have never had someone do something like that for us.” So, next time you have the chance to do something small, or to do something big, just do something to show appreciation and to thank others.

I hope these stories inspire you, motivate you, and cause you to surprise others with cards, food, or other ways that show appreciation for what they do. Let’s make sure that thank you is a always a reality. It will change your day by making the day of those around you better!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Life is just a ride…you must keep pedaling!

By Jenna Jamieson | May 31, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

It’s May and that means school is almost out. I did a podcast at the beginning of the month with a very cool person that found me via Twitter. His name is Chad Smart and he is the host of Positive Cynicism. Check him out at jitterymonkey.com and listen to his motivational and fun podcasts. Here’s a link to hear the one he allowed me to participate in: http://jitterymonkey.com/positive-cynicism-42-question-everything-jenna-jamieson/

I also did some volunteering this month because it’s kind of my hobby. A hobby that I allow to take over my ‘normal’ life on occasion. I volunteered at SIU’s graduation for probably my 10th time or more. It was a simple gesture to help others out and give back to my community. It’s important to recognize the impact volunteering can have in your local community. With all the ways to make a difference, to give back to organizations, and to help others in need, volunteering can be one of the most simple ways to do that. Not only does it help your community and people in it, but beyond that it gives you a sense of purpose. That is at the core of finding and achieving pure happiness – finding genuine purpose that can give your life meaning. I challenge you to add more volunteering to your life where you get nothing in return, not something you do at your job or at your church, or as part of a club you are in, but pure volunteering with no sub-lining or sub-benefit. Volunteering where you give your time away for free and get nothing in return. It will give you purpose – specifically, a purpose you have probably never felt before.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Giving love and support to those that need it most!

By Jenna Jamieson | April 30, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

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!

By Jenna Jamieson | February 28, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

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

Backpacks: Here, There, & Everywhere!

By Jenna Jamieson | January 30, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

It’s February! For most, that means more winter weather (and maybe some snow!), hearts, pink and red, Valentine’s Day, heart health awareness month (Go Red) and all the other stuff in between. For me, it means backpacks, and lots of them, at school, at my house, at community dropboxes…basically, here, there, and everywhere! This is because February is the month I partner with Circle K of SIU and coordinate a backpack drive for my school and the local Boys and Girls Club. I collect gently used and new backpacks to provide for students that cannot afford them.

Circle K is a branch of Kiwanis International which is under the same umbrella as Key Club, a club that is often a student organization in high schools, including the one I teach at. I remember being an active Key Club member in high school. I loved the community projects Key Club helped with and the volunteer work that came along with it. This is why I feel especially happy to partner with this Registered Student Organization (RSO) at my local university.

Here’s a chance for you to declutter your house and free up some space: Donate any new or gently used backpacks, duffle bags, and totes to my Backpacks for Success project. You can find locations at the SIU Student Services Building, SIU Morris Library, SIU Student Center, and the Neighborhood Co-Op.

With your help and the support of many others I have been able to see firsthand what a difference these backpacks make in the lives of students. Many of them have heavy books to carry and cannot afford the expense that comes along with buying a backpack, plus it’s something their family is unable to fulfill for them. This is why it is my hope to help provide to those that need backpacks so that they have the basic necessities to be successful in school. It touches my heart to see so many who are willing to change the lives of students and the world’s future generations by donating a backpack. With each backpack, we are changing a life, and with that change we are making it possible for a child to feel more prepared and successful in their school environment. Thanks to all who donate – please spread the love by sharing this post!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

The mountains we call life!

By Jenna Jamieson | October 5, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

As if we haven’t heard it a thousand times that life is full of highs and lows and twists and turns. It’s something our parents tell us, our teachers told us, and something you can hear and witness every single day. Sometimes life seems glamorous when we are young (and, it certainly is at times and most definitely more times than not!), but it isn’t always glamorous. And, it is important to teach your children this, your students this, and all the people around you this. It makes that fall to the ground a little bit less painful in the end.

I am a new teacher surrounded by many veterans, but we all have bad days, the ones who are new and the ones that have tons of experience. I was recently evaluated and the class didn’t really go as planned, not at all, not even a little bit. It was stressful, chaotic, and more than anything it felt like a bit of a failure. That day was you guessed it…a mountain. But then again, in life, almost every single day is going to present you with a mountain (or hill) of some kind. It’s the reality and we must come to accept that when we plan things out in our head and they go in a complete different direction we recognize it is as a learning experience and not a failure. Now, not all people will lead you to believe this – you may not have friends, family, bosses, supervisors, leaders, or people that believe that a loss of profit, a bad decision, or a poor evaluation is a learning experience, but it is.

My evaluation did turn into a learning experience and a lesson to stick in my pocket. It’s one I can carry with me. That evaluation will make me a better person even if I would like to forget about it. This leads to the last part. I work with a wide range of students. Some that have family and a great home and others that aren’t sure where they will sleep that night. Students that eat out often and others that aren’t sure when their next meal will come. It came at just the perfect time. Less than 24 hours later I received a note about the impact I was having on several students.

What’s the point of sharing these highs and lows? Because it’s life. You can translate this to your own life, job, relationships, and chaos. Life is full of moments where you feel like you have reached the peak of the mountain and feel like you have met success, but you will also find challenges and frustrations right around the corner.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Curriculum that comes to life!

By Jenna Jamieson | September 25, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

It can be a lot of work to be a teacher that truly takes the time to create ‘fun’ curriculum which to me (as a teacher) actually means meaningful curriculum that makes the topics and concepts come to life. Books have tons and tons of definitions, topics, and concepts, but they aren’t always exciting and thrilling. They don’t always make learning fun and often times as teachers we recognize that making learning fun is actually a lot more work. After all, students often want things that are interactive and hands-on, but what they don’t realize is that the ‘fun’ things that teachers plan require a lot of organizing, coordinating, and most of all time. Remember that this is the type of curriculum that helps the students retain important information, but also provides life lessons.

This past week I have done quite a bit of self-reflection on my activities and lessons in hopes of becoming a better teacher and improving my projects for future classes. I recently planned my annual ‘Cutthroat Food Truck’ project where there is auctioning and chaos within the classroom. It’s during my Supply & Demand Unit which makes it really fun. There’s a shortage of ink in the marketplace so there is no printing allowed, there is an unlimited supply of white computer paper available because there is a major supplier producing it, markers are readily available and not in short supply, but due to the demand of scissors, glue, tape, and colored paper there is a limited number of premium resources available and the groups must bid to obtain these wants. It’s quite entertaining because I do most of the auctioning while students are creating their food cart which adds an extra layer to the project. Students must pay attention to items that are up for bid as they create and brainstorm on their food truck. They get a set amount of ‘money’ (yes, it’s fake!) to use toward bidding on items. They must consider whether they will bid each other up for items, trade-off items, or how they will strategize to create a cool and fun food truck.

It is quite exhausting to coordinate, organize, and implement (and a bit costly because I bring in patterned decorative tape and paper, special stickers, etc), but it turns out to be a cool project that teaches supply, demand, wants, needs, scarcity, and limited and unlimited resources. What is most important about this project is that it brings these complex, boring economic concepts (okay, let’s be honest I am a Financial Economics major so it hurt to have to type ‘boring’ to describe those concepts, but for most students it is the reality) to LIFE! It gives meaning and excitement to these students.

This also helps bring your students that have different learning styles and levels to an area that connects with real life. Nearly all students can relate to some of the concepts and it puts money in their hands! They have to figure out how to spend it efficiently or else they learn a lesson on how not to spend money (which can be equally as important)! My point is that if you bring your lessons to life you will find so much more success in your classroom. I will guarantee that!

This one is for my fellow teachers, economic lovers (me!), and all those that strive to make a difference in every single student’s life.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

What is SUCCESS?

By Jenna Jamieson | August 12, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

I had to laugh at myself when I typed success because I started teaching in the middle of the year (January) so I shuffled to get my classroom, lessons, and several activities ready over the two week Christmas break. It was a lot of work to clean out someone’s classroom (who had left a lot behind) and find a way to decorate and organize it so I was ready to teach. I wanted it to be a very inviting and comfortable atmosphere for my students. As I completed my bulletin board one evening over break, I got the entire thing laminated, cut out, and put up when I realized I had forgotten a ‘c’ in success. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was overwhelmed with annoyance at how I had misspelled ‘success’ after being in a hurry.

Fast forward a few months and I was talking to my husband who had the question, “What is success?” asked during an interview. I thought about it for a few moments before saying, “Making other people see the value of making the world a kinder and happier place for all.” A bit vague, yes, and probably not what most think of when they define success, but it could mean volunteering during the busy times before schools and universities begin or giving directions and a friendly smile to someone new on campus or at school. After all, there are a lot of new people in unfamiliar places that may need help, have questions, ask you for directions, and feel nervous and stressed about the new chapter they are beginning.

With the beginning of many new chapters for those around us, it is a great thing to consider success in this way of light. We have lots of first-time college students, middle school/junior high students headed to high schools, young children starting school, and lots of people who are embarking on new adventures and journeys whether it be new jobs, traveling to new places, or struggling with a new diagnosis or unforeseen challenge (for some of us, it may be the unknown of a little thing called the Solar Eclipse 😉 ). If when we see new faces at school, at work, in passing, or in our community, people took the opportunity to be welcoming and helpful it would help my ‘definition of success’ expand as more people would be helping each other. Give directions to a stranger, smile and say hi to put a person at ease, provide exceptional service, let someone know you are happy to help if they need it, etc. This time of year is often very stressful for many of us and we can become extremely focused on our own hectic and chaotic schedules that we may forget to help those around us. I challenge you to help others this month as they embark on new adventures (and new challenges) so that together we create a kinder and happier world for all.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Do you like to laugh?

By Jenna Jamieson | July 16, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

I can say with excitement that my book is NOW available…please shop local, eat local, and buy local when you can. Support local people [artists, authors, programmers, etc], local places/businesses [computer repair shops, banks, clothing boutiques, etc], and local food options [grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, etc]. Having said that, I truly hope you will consider buying and reading my book. I hope you find the lessons I share to be fun, funny, and most of all inspire you to volunteer (when you can) and give back to your community and the people in it, in little ways or big ways. While my name is on the cover of the book, the life lessons (that I have learned and shared) are thanks to the many people who have taught me something along the way. And, here’s one of the lessons I shared in the book which I just happened to experience again this week!

This entire book process has been a new learning experience for me. Sometimes stressful, sometimes challenging, but mostly fun because it’s a completely new realm and new learning curve and that’s pretty cool. As a new experience, I had to learn how to go about putting together a book cover, how to buy ISBNs, where to find an editor, how to sell on a website, and now how to ship books. I was lucky enough to have an amazing mentor who helped answer many of these questions, and for that I am truly grateful that Craig Lindvahl helped me along the way. I had to consider: Should I ship using the United States Postal Service? Should I use a more specialty service such as FedEx, DHL, or UPS? What will be most efficient for my customers? Which would they prefer? Or should I just buy a personal drone and ‘hand deliver’ books to my customers? Yea right, I’m just kidding about that last one!

As I was figuring out the complexity of shipping and how to determine prices for shipping, I contacted several shipping providers to help me (or at least to request information), one being the United States Postal Service (USPS). After all, I am a small business so I have to be realistic and efficient on my costs as well. I called and spoke to a young man from USPS one afternoon and left a message and then for the next three weeks we played phone tag, leaving messages for each other until finally last week I got through and reached him! What I didn’t realize is that our conversation would turn into one of the very stories that I included in the book, and it was a funny one at that!

He started talking to me about shipping with USPS, costs of shipping, how flat-rate shipping works (because shipping isn’t as easy as it may seem). Different costs to different locations, different options, different lengths, and trying to decide what flat-rate to charge can be confusing. The flat-rate boxes and envelopes are around $7.15 which seemed too high for customers and the lowest was around $2.75 – $3.75 for many places (which covered shipping, but not the packaging, labels, invoices, etc). Enough about that jargon. It was decided it would be best for me to purchase supplies and then ship from a physical USPS location. As he was typing up info to send to me via email he asked if I had time for him to tell me a quick story. I said sure, I had a moment to listen. What proceeded was hilarious!

He said, “When we get customers that ask for assistance with shipping and other services through USPS, either myself or someone else that I work with in the office usually tries to get general info on what their business needs are before we call them back.” One day, my assistant/co-worker called to give me your information and I asked have you looked her up yet and gotten general details on what she might need. She told me she hadn’t had a chance and I said don’t worry about it, I can look her up and get what I need before I call her back. So, I went and looked you up online and typed in ‘Jenna Jamieson’ and yea, something different came up. I went back to your name to make sure I spelled it correctly. Yep, I had spelled it correctly and there is a letter difference. I said, “Yea, you got the porn star, right? The famous porn star from the ’90s.” I went on to say, “When I was in school, she was famous and depending on your age, you probably can recall her.” He said, “Yea, the one letter difference still brought her up and I knew who she was. Maybe that will actually help with your book sales.” That’s when the laughing commenced. I said, “Maybe you can remember me by the whiskey instead.” You can read more about my name and it’s meaning in my book, Giving Back: Lessons from an adopted immigrant on why a happy life is about helping others.

Hope you got a few laughs out of that story! Find more laughs and other raw emotions when you read my book!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness