lesson – Jenna Jamieson, Author

How I judged someone…

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

This is a perfect subject as we begin another new school year. It is a great topic to discuss and bring awareness to how we can all be a little less judge-y about others. I’ve been taking several college classes over the last four to five years in different fields and for different reasons, but mainly because I love learning. There were a few classes I was dreading, but not because I was worried about the work. Remember, I love learning and part of learning is doing assignments and activities that broaden our experiences. I was dreading it because I was worried about the professor. I had encountered this particular professor at a local organizational meeting that I attended one evening and she seemed to be very rigid, almost grumpy. She wasn’t overly friendly or bubbly, in fact, she wasn’t really friendly at all. I knew she taught two of the classes I was interested in, so I would have her as a professor and that really worried me.

This is when the story changes just a bit. I took the plunge and signed up for those classes. I decided it was time to face the worry that I was feeling and get through those classes that I wanted to take. This is the part where you learn that I had completely prejudged that professor. She was a phenomenal professor that had the class organized very efficiently. After taking her two classes, I realized how pathetic it was that I even considered letting my initial judgment of her impact taking those classes. She could have had a difficult day when I met her that evening, she could have been facing a battle I knew nothing about, or she might just have a personality that is different than what I thought it should be as a professor. She isn’t required to be bubbly or overly friendly and I can assure you that her teaching style is drastically different from her everyday personality. She may not like going to meetings or she may feel awkward in social situations. Whatever it was, it didn’t even matter. It wasn’t important. And it was a wonderful learning lesson for me. I was reminded that my judge-y self needed to take a step back and realize that each person’s personality is unique and should not be judged. Not now, not ever.

And so the complete irony of the situation is not only was I reminded to be less judgmental, BUT I also loved her two classes! She helped me grow throughout those two classes and made me view and look at things in different ways. And for that, I am very thankful. So with this blog, I challenge you to remember that there is no need to judge others…we can always let others do their own thing because we all walk different paths and lead different lives. 🙂

~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