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Tips for studying in self isolation

I feel the phrase “the show must go on” is going to apply heavily to the student community over the coming months – vet students included.

Universities across the country are moving their teaching and examinations to an online platform, which means that for a lot of young academics, come rain or shine (or, it seems, the apocalypse), we will be working until the bitter end.

In other words, the pubs may be shut, but the textbooks are staying open.

Bitter pill

While it may seem cruel that the rest of life has to grind to a halt while studying and exams carry on (as someone who will shortly be spending her 21st birthday in lockdown, let me just say I know – trust me, I know), it’s especially important for professional courses to carry on as best they can.

As medical students we don’t only learn to pass our exams, but to better equip ourselves for a workplace where our decisions can be the difference between life and death.

I strongly commend the staff who’ve had to work tirelessly behind the scenes to reorchestrate an entire term of teaching in a matter of weeks to make sure our learning doesn’t have to suffer.

Analogue girl in a digital world

Not only are the staff having to adapt, but so are the students. As an analogue girl myself I really do fail my generation’s reputation for being “good at technology”, so I can tell you my own experience of moving to an entirely online learning platform has been… shall we say, interesting?

And while it is nice to have a timetable (and, therefore, a reason to remember what day it is, let alone the date), I thought I would share a few pearls of wisdom for making it through one of the weirdest periods of study any of us is probably ever going to experience – and that’s saying something as we stick our hands in some seriously weird places.

No. 1: Maintain boundaries between work and home

You know how some animals, like cats, have a special place for everything? A place to eat, sleep, wash, defecate etc, while naturally roaming animals such as the horse do not have this talent and will happily poo in their freshly made stall as the heart-broken yard worker looks on in anguish?

Well, for as long as this lockdown lark continues, do NOT be like the horse.

Designating different areas in which to work and unwind will not only give you a feeling of routine, but will also help you work hard and switch off when you need to. Just because you can literally wake up, roll over, do a day’s work and then go back to sleep, does not mean you should.

No. 2: Play to your strengths

One of the few silver linings to come out of the change in learning environments is that it puts you, the student, well and truly in the driver’s seat.

Studying has now become a lot more independent – and while this does mean you have to work to motivate yourself a little harder, it also gives you the power to work in the way that’s best for you.

Everyone learns differently, whether it’s visualisation, reading through articles or breaking up the work into lots of manageable chunks. Find which method works for you and own it.

Virtual study groups can be a great way to collaborate with your peers. Image © New Africa / Adobe Stock

No. 3: Use every resource at your disposal

Just because you’re learning from home now doesn’t mean the whole concept of “uni” has disappeared.

You can no longer talk to your lecturers in person, but, let’s be honest, that was quite intimidating anyway. If you have a question, drop your tutors an email; if you don’t understand the new system and need some help, email or phone up your admin team. They may take a little longer to reply than usual, but you are not alone.

With this in mind, if you’re a person who works best in groups, who said FaceTime had to be all fun and games? Virtual study groups can be a great reason to put on actual clothes, brush your hair and work that little bit harder on your assignments.

No. 4: It’s okay not to be okay

Now, this is the most important one, so I’ll say it again for those at the back: It. Is. Okay. Not To. Be. Okay.

Never in the history of civilised society have we experienced anything exactly like this before. It is confusing, lonely and scary at times, and having to study and revise on top of it all can seem like an impossible task.

If you are struggling, please talk to someone; if you know someone who you think might struggle right now, please reach out to them. The veterinary community has a reputation for appalling mental health, and it is more important than ever before to look out for one another.

If you’re having a low day, it’s okay to take it slow to focus on yourself and start feeling okay again. Draw something, write something, buy yourself that dress you’ve been ogling for the past three months.

Or, if you just feel like curling up on the sofa and watching the entire Lord of The Rings trilogy (the extended editions), back to back, with a litre of ice cream and your favourite onesie… that’s okay, too.

June 3, 2020
Remaining positive and proactive

I’m sure everyone feels as though life gets on top of them from time to time, and vet students – all students, in fact – are no exception.

I think it’s fair to say that I, among many of my friends on the vet course, have often wished for everything to just slow down… to hit pause on life for just a little while and for the world to simply stop.

Never, however, did I, or anyone else, think it could or would happen quite like this.

Place of positivity

I’m talking of course about what everyone else is talking about, COVID-19 – and I know that’s enough to turn a lot of readers away, considering the virus has already consumed so many areas of day-to-day life.

However, while I completely relate to this sentiment, I wanted to use this platform to speak from a place of positivity and proactivity and to remind anyone who does care to read on that we are all in this together.

We will be okay, the world will start spinning again – and, if you happen to be a vet student who has stumbled upon more spare time than you could shake a stick at, here are a few thoughts on how to spend it (ahem… alongside revision, of course).

Student support

While it’s utterly undeniable that everyone is being affected by the current crisis, I think it’s also important to speak from the student perspective.

Masters courses and non-graduating years of professional degrees aside, the class of 2020 is experiencing an end to university life that is entirely unique and, equally, heart breaking.

I think it’s important that those with a few more years until they reach the light at the end of the tunnel really appreciate this and support friends in their final year.

Planning graduation celebration events a few months after the fact gives everyone something to look forward to and remind everyone whose train is currently pulling into the station that, while they thought they still had several exciting and unforgettable stops left, it doesn’t make what they’ve already accomplished any less real or worthy of pride.

Hand(y) advice

This next idea may sound a little obvious, but every little thing goes a long way, and as a girl who found free revision in every public toilet and restaurant in the lead up to her exams I can tell you, you can never be told too often how to wash your hands.

Image by thisispatrice from Pixabay

If you are a vet student at any stage of your career, you already have more medical knowledge than the average person. I put it to you that it is your responsibility to sing it from the rooftops, tell it to anyone who will listen, and then some…

To the old, young or sceptical around you, remind them just why they have to wash their hands and show them how to. Remind them why social distancing is needed when all you want to do when you’re bored, lonely or scared is come together. Remind them how much good they are doing and how such tiny actions that seem completely insignificant can reach, affect, and save so, so, so many lives.

Capacity for kindness

Now for the good will part – and this doesn’t just apply to vet students, but I thought I’d stick it in here anyway for dedicated readers who have made it this far.

I may be paraphrasing politicians (while also being slightly cheesy, yet sincere) when I say, at the end of this, when it’s all said and done, it would be incredible not to look back at the COVID-19 pandemic not only as a crisis, but as a reminder of the capability of our society for demonstrating kindness and compassion.

Reach out

If you yourself are healthy and capable, why not reach out to your local community to see where you can make a difference and make someone’s journey through these uncertain times a little easier.

Volunteering to fetch food for elderly relatives or neighbours, or even just being a friendly voice at the end of the phone to combat the loneliness of isolation, are amazing personal efforts to be proud of – and keeping busy might just keep you sane as well.

April 22, 2020
Interview questions

Whenever I meet veterinary students, I am often asked: “What questions should I ask in my job interview?”

For the past eight years, I have sat on the interviewer side of the table and have been asked some great questions.

Here are some I think – as long as it is relevant to your career goals – you could ask:

How many new graduates have you taken on in this hospital?

This is important if you are looking for a supportive practice that is accustomed to taking on inexperienced vets. You can extend this to ask: “How long do they generally stay for?”

Do you have a support system in place?

If the practice doesn’t, don’t go in there expecting it. If it does, it makes the practice accountable to what it says if the support structure is not in place.

What concerns do you have about me?

This is a great question I have used, but I have never been asked by someone I was interviewing.

This opens the forum for the interviewer to voice his or her concerns (if he or she wants to) and allows you address them right then and there.

Sometimes, it may just be a misunderstanding that stops someone from hiring you.

What expectations do you have of me?

The practice may have unrealistic expectations of you. It may expect you to take on too much with inadequate training, knowledge and resources.

It is better to have a conversation and develop an understanding or solutions around those expectations before you start.

What can I do that would make you feel that hiring me was a successful hire?

It is important for you to know your employer‘s markers of success from the start. You want to know if you can achieve them and if you are engaged by them.

What are the major roadblocks that you think I will come up against?

The practice may have experience taking on new grads, and seen what works and what doesn’t. Therefore, it helps to know what interviewer thinks you can do to overcome them.

Asking an interesting question – especially one that challenges the interviewer – is a really great way of being remembered.

March 2, 2020
The third year slump

I never really worried about signing up for a five-year course; friends would gasp at the prospect, but I’d always laugh it off for a multitude of reasons.

If I’m being honest, the part of me worried about leaving the security of secondary school was quite happy to have a set plan for the next half a decade, with most of the major decisions already made for me. It also helps that I’m a bit of a nerd and I’ve always enjoyed learning – not tests, though sadly they seem to come hand in hand – and anyway is it really “work” if you’re doing what you love?

Food for thought

Almost three years on and nothing’s really changed. I still love my course and where I’m heading, and no number of exams could ever diminish the joy of learning something new. But at the same time, as I approach the halfway mark of my course, it’s hard to watch friends I’ve made along the way begin to plan life after their own courses.

When everyone around you is getting ready to begin their next chapter – discussing dissertations and job markets and other truly terrifying adult-sounding-topics – it can be easy to fall into a slump.

The traditional “half-way meal” organised by the third years does help to soften the blow somewhat (food being the ultimate comfort), and also serves as a reminder that getting this far really is an achievement, one we’ve all made together. It helps to think of the next half of the course as the vet student’s version of “the next chapter”, because the shift to clinical years really is a different world – or so I’ve been told.

“…even my avid-clubbing friends are starting to wind down now. The older you get, the more being surrounded by bouncing, wide-eyed freshers are going to take its toll” – says Eleanor Goad.

Mature student

It probably doesn’t help that I’m an old soul, but as you near your fourth year you can start to feel like you’re becoming the pensioners of the campus.

I’ve always been the kind of student who prefers an evening in with a takeaway than a night on the town, but even my avid-clubbing friends are starting to wind down now. The older you get, the more being surrounded by bouncing, wide-eyed freshers are going to take its toll.

I think the hardest part for me about still having so far to go is the constant desire to just get stuck in. When the Australian bush fires crisis began, veterinary professionals around the world migrated in to help and I would have jumped at the chance to have been one of them.

Preserve your virtue

Patience is key in any profession, but I think veterinarians acquire it the hard way. Nevertheless, there’s a lot we can do while we wait for graduation to arrive. Volunteering is the obvious example. However, if you can’t afford a flight to Australia, there are always issues to be tackled closer to home – working to preserve your local wildlife, perhaps at a rescue centre, is as good a cause as any.

Volunteering, work experience, blogging (ahem) or educating those around you on subjects of animal care and well-being are just a few ways you can spend your time in these pre-professional years.

It’s okay if you feel stuck, or in a slump, it’s a pretty common thing. Just don’t wish it all away too quickly, because I bet we’ll miss these years when they’re done.

February 7, 2020
Who runs the world?
Toward the end of my first year at university, a friend of mine stumbled upon a funny online student-made list of “things NOT to expect at vet school”. From memory, I think it included things we all related to such as Christmas holidays (curse you, exams), summer holidays (why, EMS, why?) and “a coolness status to rival the medics” (we are real doctors, I swear).

But what was probably the most relatable, and yet the one nobody really expects before vet school without already being in the know, is: “an abundance of men”.

Now, I’m not saying I signed up to the course for the sole purpose of a live action performance of It’s Raining Men, but, at the same time, you can’t help but be taken aback by the sheer volume of girls compared to guys the first time you walk into that lecture theatre.

While stereotypical – are women more likely to love all things cute and fluffy? – wonders Eleanor Goad.

Why, oh why?

Just to put it into perspective for you, my cohort for the year is roughly 150 students and 10% of those students are male.

According to gender statistics recorded by the Vet Futures project, it’s been like that for some time, in fact, the veterinary graduates’ ratio of female to male has only been increasing over the past few decades.

Nobody is really sure why. In human medicine the ratio is relatively even, so what is it about animals that strikes a chord with women more than men?
- A maternal nature?
- A love for all things fluffy?
Both these solutions seem a little stereotypical and, to be honest, we’re probably most unsure about the reason behind the numbers because nobody wants to touch this landmine of a topic with a 10-foot barge pole.

I really don’t have the answers myself, either – but it’s a curiosity I can’t not address.

Imbalance

I suppose I never noticed it growing up, or even doing work experience prior to vet school – which makes sense when you look again at the statistics as the gender gap seems to rein in after graduation. So, although around 70% of vet graduates are female, the number of practising female vets is more like 50%.

That difference doesn’t seem so odd once you’ve factored in maternity leave, but it’s not the only disparity. Despite the fact the veterinary population spewing out of universities across the country each year is overwhelmingly female, men make up the majority of those working as RCVS specialists, as farm/mixed practice vets and as RCVS fellows – the people committed to advancing the veterinary profession.

In essence, the vets who specialise outside of “general practice” are confusingly male. Positions of power in general practice, such as partner positions, are also held by men in a greater proportion than women.

How can this be?

As a veterinary student with, as yet, only a teeny tiny foot in the clinical world, I can only really speculate.

The best-case scenario for these statistics would be simple chance, that more men happen to have been interested in specialised careers than women, but this seems unlikely. It could also be down to the fact that maternity leave and childcare can unfortunately, but ultimately, lead to a lack of “career propulsion” (for lack of a better term), and can make it a little harder to advance in your profession at the same rate as male peers. More woman might choose job stability over returning to education or pursuing a less predictable career for the same reason.

These outcomes are understandable, but at the same time, nobody should be – or feel as if they are being – held back.

It’s my hope that, in future years, the gap between the genders closes, for more guys to aspire to a veterinary career, and for more practising female veterinary surgeons to pursue whatever career they chose, general or specialised.
January 22, 2020
You got a friend in me

Over the past three years, I’ve found one of the hardest parts about revising at home over the holidays isn’t actually the fact you’re revising at home, but that you’re not revising back at university.

Now let me explain, because I know it sounds odd…

Why would anyone not want to go home for the holidays, or right before some hideous, stressful exams? I will admit the food, festivities, time with family and pets is a nice bolster during revision (and certainly doesn’t hurt), but, at the same time, unless you’re fortunate enough to come home to someone studying the same course as you, and also preparing for exams, there’s nobody around you in the same boat.

One for all…

One thing I really miss when I’m at home, nose deep in textbooks, is that sense of camaraderie that comes with tackling the vet course with a group of friends.

Nobody wants to climb Everest alone, and it can be hard when those around you are enjoying time off and eating mince pies while you sit alone in your room, like the Grinch, muttering to yourself about hygiene laws and ethical quandaries of actual mince.

However, it’s not only during exam season that friends are so vital – they keep you company during the best and worst of everything uni has to throw at you. But, around exams, it’s not untrue that misery loves company. That’s not to say you can’t help pick each other up when the going gets tough, but if you’re all in the tough together, the going might not be so bad after all.

…and all for one

Group revision sessions with lots of chocolate, crisps (and maybe a few tears) are a godsend to me after days of seeing nobody but the animals on my flash cards.

Group revision sessions with lots of chocolate, crisps (and maybe a few tears) are a godsend, says Eleanor. Image © Prostock-studio / Adobe Stock

Spreading the workload among your friends is also a great way to make revision more manageable – and it’s true when they say teaching is one of the best ways to learn.

I’m so lucky to have the supportive network I do, and to know I’m not in it alone. On such a challenging course, it can easy for things to get on top of you (both academically and mentally), but by working together and leaning on each other, you won’t just survive uni – you’ll nail it!

January 7, 2020
Balancing health with a busy schedule

When it comes to a course as busy and hectic as veterinary medicine, it can be easy to let certain things slide – especially around exam time.

There’s the occasional group event, the odd party and, of course, the big one – a healthy lifestyle.

I know from experience that when the grind really sets in, it’s all too easy to let these things go. However, I also know from experience that this can actually be counterproductive.

Hand in hand

When exams are always looming on the horizon, the choice between body or mind can seem like an all too easy one – since they aren’t going to be grading you on the number of vegetables you’ve consumed, or the hours of exercise you’ve done this week, it doesn’t always seem like a choice at all.

That’s why I wanted to give a little reminder that the two do, in fact, go hand in hand, and it is actually achievable to pass your exams and make it through your university years while subsisting on anything other than takeaway meals and four hours of sleep a night.

Working on your problem areas is the first step. If you struggle getting eight hours a night because you always know in the back of your mind there’s still work to be done, set yourself a schedule. During exam season, for example, I don’t let myself work past 8pm and the rest of the evening is for me.

Little and often

Staying on top of your workload on the lead-up to exams also does wonders, and doing “little and often” means you don’t find yourself with a mountain of work that keeps you up late into the night. If you absolutely have to get on top of the work and can’t find the time, try going to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier. You might just find you work better after a full night of sleep than blearily rubbing your eyes at gone midnight.

If you struggle to find time to socialise and exercise and when things get busy, one has to go – try joining a sports team or society and combining the two.

If you’re the person who finds it easier to skip meals to get a little extra studying in, just try to take note from what you’re actually studying. If you’re in a medical degree, whatever stage you’re at, you are blessed with the gift (or maybe the curse) of knowledge.

We’re all taught the dangers of under-eating or overeating, how blood sugar affects cognitive function and sleep quality… blah blah blah. These are things we all know like the back of our hand.

So, what’s the point of cramming our brains with all of this content if we don’t act on any of it or use it to our advantage?

“Try going to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier. You might just find you work better after a full night of sleep than blearily rubbing your eyes at gone midnight,” says Eleanor.

Consider the future

Now, if this article has struck a chord with you, and you need any more motivation, just think to the future.

I know right now stress is a key driver for skipping meals, exercise and getting a few hours’ sleep, and you might fully intend to break these habits once you’ve graduated and reached the greener grasses on the other side, but the thing to keep in mind is, even if you end up in the veterinary job of your dreams, it won’t be without stress or deadlines, or work always in the back of your mind. All the reasons to skip meals and sleep will still be there.

But if you can get a handle on it now and learn to look after yourself in these early days, it will follow you into the rest of your career.

And, quite frankly, even the most competent vet is going to struggle to command respect if they’re falling asleep at the consult table or giving advice to owners of how to take care of their pets when they’re still struggling to take care of themselves.

Not selfish

I think a lot of vets need to hear this – both students and fresh graduates especially. Your first patient, every day, has to be you.

Remember, you are important, your health is important, and it matters just as much as any of your patients. If you’re not healthy, how can you do what you do to the best of your ability?

By looking after yourself, you are looking after each of the animals you treat. It’s not selfish to look after your body just as much as your mind – it is essential.

December 11, 2019
Why you can – and should – be a mentor

The benefits of having a mentor – someone who has walked the path you are travelling and is happy to share with you what they have learned to make your journey a little easier – are invaluable and indisputable. But they don’t simply appear out of thin air.

Someone has to step up and take on the challenge of sharing what they know.

Maybe that someone should be you?

Gift of giving

“But what do I know? Who am I to teach? I’ll definitely mentor someone one day when I have something to say, but right now I still have too much to learn.” Right?

I don’t see myself as wealthy. When I walk along the beachfront in the fancy neighbourhoods, I look at the mansions that overlook the ocean and wonder what it must be like to have that much money.

If you asked me for £20, however, I could happily give it. I wouldn’t even miss it – I have money to spend. I just don’t always appreciate what I’ve accumulated over the years – especially when I compare myself to people who have so much more.

But if you were starving and broke, that £20 would be a tremendous amount of money – it could be life-changing.

Theoretically, no limit exists to how much money you can accumulate. At which point do you have enough that you feel you can start spending or giving? Do you need to be a millionaire before you can spare £5? Of course not.

Disseminate

Experience is the same. You know stuff, have lived a few years, been through school and university, and worked a few days, months or years. Maybe you’re still studying – but you’ve passed a few exams.

Of course, some people know way more than you – you have a lot more to learn. We all do. But I can guarantee you know something someone else doesn’t – and nothing helps you learn faster than teaching.

Some people want to know things you take for granted as given knowledge.

Don’t be a miser. Find people to spend your wealth of knowledge on. They’re all around you in your workplaces, universities and online communities – and they’re starving for what you know.

December 4, 2019
Mid-sessionals – the dos and don’ts

Right now, a lot of vet students are heading towards their first mid-sessional exams – the first university level exams the majority of them will ever have experienced.

The rest of us have mid-sessionals, too, off course, and while we no longer have the luxury of ignorance and the bliss it comes with, these are no longer uncharted waters and we do have some advice.

Don’t

Panic

While, unlike other courses, the first year of veterinary medicine does technically “count”, you won’t be graded in the way the majority of students are. It’s a nice and clear-cut pass or fail system. Also, if you have the worst time with your mid-sessionals and don’t even reach that passing grade, there’s plenty of time for you to make that up with coursework and the summer exams, which will carry a lot more weight. Both the university and your faculty members understand the transition to university is a whirlwind, and these first exams while you’re still finding your feet might not reflect your best work; therefore, your mid-sessional results do not have to reflect the rest of your year.

Just talk – listen!

Nobody is going to send you into those exams blind! The uni will give you all of the information you need to know – it might be online, or in a lecture you didn’t go to because it didn’t look particularly important. A lot of the answers to your questions can be found just by paying attention.

Burn yourself out

I have been guilty of this. I can sometimes get so caught up in maximising my revision that I run out of steam with maybe a week or two still to go before the exams and realise, suddenly, I could have given myself a bit more slack. Be smart, kids; don’t be me.

Just revise the interesting stuff

It can be tempting to ignore revising the content that bores you or you can’t see the relevance of learning. Trust me when I say if you are being taught it, it is important and even if It seems like common sense, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t even give it a glance when you come to revision.

Make study groups and draw from each other’s strengths, says Eleanor Goad. Image © Rawpixel.com / Adobe Stock

Do

Talk to people

Right now, everyone around you is in the exact same boat, without a clue what’s going on. How much content in each lecture do we need to know? How are questions worded? How many questions are in a paper? What’s 2 + 2, again? Talk to each other, work with each other, make study groups and draw from each other’s strengths. Talk to your lecturers; you are allowed to ask them what kind of stuff they expect you to take away from their lectures. Talk to your personal tutors and staff members; they might be able to direct you towards some sample questions.

Start revising early on – and stay organised!

Know which notes are for which topic, and, maybe, even make a handy list of all of your most hated topics/lectures so you can maximise your study time.

Your best

I know it sounds super corny, but at the end of the day it’s all that you can do. You’ve made it into vet school so trust in yourself and your abilities. You can do this.

November 7, 2019
A different kind of exam

A veterinary career and examinations go hand in hand. I can’t count the number of papers I’ve sat over the last quarter of my life that have opened the doors to where I am now.

If you manage to make it even half way through the vet course it can be assumed you have mastered the art of taking tests.

But third year, I’m coming to realise, is a game changer.

The same, but different

I don’t think it properly dawned on me until our first day back during an afternoon practical. We were going over a routine canine examination, mimicking the role of any vet when a fresh patient comes through their doors; travelling from nose to tail, searching for abnormalities, checking mucous membranes, smelling inside the ears – the works.

We also covered various injection sites along with their pros and cons, how and where to auscultate the lungs, and even how to wash our hands – which, it turns out, is far more complex than life up until now had led us to believe.

Now don’t get me wrong, they hadn’t waited until third year to teach us all of this (a lot of it was basic stuff; the habits general practice workers could do in their sleep). No, the difference was that, in these practicals, we actually had real dogs.

New experiences

It sounds childish given our future line of work, but as any vet student will confirm, when we see an animal, any animal, but especially dogs, we get very excited. It’s not just the fact it’s a cute dog (although, I won’t lie to you, that’s also a big part of it, too), but getting to practice something you’ve spent hours, if not days, learning about in the classroom on an actual patient – even a volunteer one who’s really just there for the treats and attention is such a breath of fresh air and an experience to be jumped on.

Palpating lymph nodes that aren’t sewn into stuffed animals, palpating an abdomen that isn’t lying on your dissection table – all these things are akin to luxury for new third years.

But, with this rush of this new kind of learning, came to realisation of what they were preparing us for: the dreaded OSCEs – a whole new kind of exam.

“Before long, we won’t be able to pass every test they throw at us by last-minute reading and flash cards” – Eleanor Goad. Image © stokkete/ Adobe Stock

Growing up

It’s always difficult having to start over or break out of an old routine into a new one, but when you go from pre-clinical to clinical you pretty much have to do just that. As you and your cohorts shuffle ever closer to becoming real full-fledged vets, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you get treated more and more like one, and are expected to act a little more like one.

Before long, we won’t be able to pass every test they throw at us by last-minute reading and flash cards. Attention to detail, compassion, patience and professionalism will begin to carry the same weight as memorising words from a page.

In my mind, this can only be a good thing; a little scary, perhaps, but it’s also a nice reminder of where we’re headed. Working with real animals, working on problem solving – it all helps to make the future a little more tangible and less of an abstract concept.

I don’t know how I’m going to shape up with this new style of assessment coming my way, but I’ll certainly give it my best.

October 7, 2019