job – Jenna Jamieson, Author

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

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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

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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

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Ice cream before dinner…why, yes!

By Jenna Jamieson | June 21, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

I found out at the beginning of June that I wouldn’t be teaching at CCHS next year because I don’t hold an endorsement that allows me to teach Webpage Design and Programming classes and those are two classes that will be offered next year. I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t disappointed. I was disappointed. And, a lot. I live right by my high school and I drive past it almost every single day. To be honest, it just sucks (and sometimes you face these types of challenges on the way up the mountain of life). I loved my job, and more than anything I loved inspiring my students. I’m going to let my guard down a little bit more than normal in this post, and it will probably humanize me more to others and show you that life really is like climbing a mountain. Just when you think your hard work, dedication, and passion will pay off that may not actually be the case (at least, not at the time when you think it should be.) I poured my heart and soul into this last semester at CCHS (not to impress anyone), but because it’s part of my spirit. I love giving back and that’s just what I chose to do at the high school by volunteering at the robotics competition, judging the high school talent show, passing out pizza to the freshman class, chaperoning prom, coordinating a backpack drive, and attending the Multicultural Festival as well as participating in it by going to each table to learn more about other countries. It was certainly a fully-filled adventure that I had (and a learning experience, too)!

I am strong though, so I knew I could and would move on (and that’s just what I did.) I decided the evening I found out and the next to begin the process of cleaning out my classroom. I didn’t want to waste any time getting it done. After all, I had so much in my classroom from team building games I created, a Food Truck auctioning project we did, risk management games we played, and the like. But, one thing about cleaning my classroom was that it actually was a bit therapeutic. I decided to clean out my classroom and then as an adult I chose to drown myself in some delicious ice cream before dinner. Yes, you read that correctly. I wanted (and probably needed) something to make myself feel better about what would come next. That would be the ever so dreaded task of job searching. One of the things I think I might hate most in life. After all, I have 221 cover letters in my ‘Cover Letter’ folder on my jump drive and that isn’t even all of them. I have been searching for jobs in my life more than I would like to even think about. After all, my professional career is something I have dreamed about ever since I was a little adopted Indian girl. It is something I have always taken great pride in. And so, while my professional life certainly has been more like climbing a mountain, it has always taught me a lesson. That lesson is that somehow everything seems to work out and that’s something I can rest assured about even if it does mean moving on to something new and different. Remember, life isn’t easy, but it does provide lessons that we can learn from and carry with us through life.

Now that I have eaten my ice cream and packed up my classroom, it’s time to move on to what’s next. And, there is always going to be something next (when and where is TBD). So, now you can translate this into your own life’s adventures, the ups and the downs, and remember that moving on after disappointment is key to picking yourself back up and being better than you were before.

The cherry on top of my ice cream is that on my very last day one of my students from spring semester came up to talk to me. I told him that I wasn’t rehired and that I wouldn’t be back at CCHS next year. He said, “I’m going to miss seeing you next year.” He is one of those students that always said, “Hi, Mrs. Jamieson” in the hallways and always interacted with his teachers. As he walked away after I told him good luck at his SkillsUSA competition that was coming up he said, “I liked having you as a teacher, Mrs. Jamieson.”

~jj

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Quality over quantity…in life and in health!

By Jenna Jamieson | April 27, 2016 | Comments 1 comment

“Quality over quantity” fits my life mission and many of the goals I set for myself. When I workout I like to keep it in the back of my mind. I want quality over quantity. What does that mean to me? It means using the correct form for the exercises I perform and creating a workout that fits my lifestyle and body. It is for my sanity, strength, and a stress reliever at the end of the day. In other words, I would rather do fewer reps and sets during my workout than lots of reps and sets in the incorrect form. That can cause pains, strains, and injuries.

The same can be echoed for the career paths I have gone down. I have come to appreciate (and enjoy) having a job that is far more “quality over quantity”. That may not even make sense, but let me explain. I work in public education and I don’t get paid a lot, but the work I do and the students I touch are the reason I have come to like the work that I am doing (after having changed career paths several times prior). The quality or meaning it brings to my life far outweighs the quantity or money I am making.

Lastly, I love to travel. It is probably one of my favorite things to do and I wish I could do it more often. I love the experiences it gives me, the memories I create, and learning about the world. I like seeing other cultures, gaining new perspective, and more than anything the quality it adds to my life.

The meaning behind this post is to remember that in life it is far better for your health and happiness to appreciate life and people, not things. Take pleasure in the small things…the things that create memories, experiences, and teach you something about yourself and others. Make your life center around quality and experiences. You will be happier if you do! And, more than anything remember to appreciate your health and the aging process. After all, good health and aging is something that some never have the privilege of experiencing. As my grandma once said, “If you have good health you don’t realize how lucky you really are.”

~jj

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There’s an {exercise} app for that!

By Jenna Jamieson | October 16, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Each weekend my boyfriend and I go on some type of walk, jog, hike, or outdoor workout to get some steps in. At first, it started as taking the dog for a walk, but it quickly turned into a weekend routine. Now we go nearly every weekend. Our weekend walk or jog has evolved over time. We both have phone apps that track our steps which caused us to begin to pay attention to how many steps and how much distance we were covering for fun. It has now turned into a friendly competition whereby my boyfriend and I ask each other several times along the walk how many steps the other has done. Why you ask? We now compete against each other to see who has more steps. I usually win! 🙂 That’s mostly because I take smaller steps. Not intentionally though, I have shorter legs! He usually covers more distance then me, but who’s counting? We both are to see who can claim “winning” the exercise race. Of course, there is nothing to win other than saying you win distance or you win most number of steps.

So why am I telling you this story? Because using a pedometer or some type of fitness app that makes you accountable for what you are accomplishing each day is a great way to ensure you are moving your body and getting exercise. This is a great alternative to Fitbits and other fitness tools or devices that people often use for a short period because phones are always with us. Lastly, I would encourage you to put together a work team or social team that can help motivate you. I am positive my boyfriend and I would not get as much exercise during the weekend if it weren’t for the competition we have created with each other. It goes as far as when I get up or he gets up to do something we take our phones not to use them, but because we want to make sure the phone is registering every last step that might put us ahead of the other! While we exercise regularly during the week, it is important to also get some exercise throughout the weekend!

Another reason phone apps are great is because you can use them anywhere and anytime so there’s no excuse for no workout! You can do a quick workout in a hotel room if you are traveling for work or traveling for fun. You can grab your phone and download an app that has fitness and nutrition inspiration, has workouts that target specific areas of your body, or you can find an app that has group exercise routines that you can follow.

Now it’s time to go to your app store on your phone to find an app that will help you achieve your fitness, nutrition, and health goals! 🙂

~jj

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#AlwaysChooseKindness