#midyear conference

[pixelatedlenses]

A (Mid)Year Gone By

Midyear this year was really, really good.

I’m certain that a majority of folks don’t groove on midyear training conferences, but I honestly really enjoyed this year. It wasn’t without hiccups, but I felt my prefecture was trying its hardest to up their conference game. They gave us a lot considering that last year, we had no homework or prep, but… in the end, I think it actually was really worth it.

I actually played a really active role in the SHS groups: I was selected for our use of textbooks (shoutout World Trek!) and I ended up forming a really good lesson plan. You could definitely see my TEFL study at play: makes me even happier I did it and will be finishing the year certified!

Our lecturers were really good; one was local and a friend and the other, a very funny professor from Sophia Uni. It felt like a really solid move: both gave us good info, and both left me hungry to dive in and utilize what I had just clarified and learned.

Most of all, I feel I bonded with my supervisor and JTE. We became friends and really started to understand her. We don’t often have time to just talk like two women: we’re really only in contact 3/7 days a week, and she’s not someone I’d exactly LINE, for no particular reason. However, now, she’s someone I want to talk to more.

Being only 25, I still feel a gap between me and my coworkers: I’m visible and obviously the youngest, and most age gaps are, at minimum, 10 years. I feel so much a child at times here, especially since I’m still being taken care of. (I feel I always will, so long as I’m on JET: there’s always something new to adjust to, but that’s starting to feel significantly less bad and more and asset to me, tbh) This week was really a jewel, and something I’ll treasure whether or not she’s my supervisor next year.

We’re genuinely friends, and I’m so happy for that.

After breaking (melon)bread together and returning home, I really let myself think and reflect. Like I said, there were hiccups, but… I really gained new sympathy and empathy for the English teachers and an understanding of my place in the system.

Teaching is not easy, but together, ALTs and JTEs have the ability to really transform English from Tool to Technique to Freedom. Language is always a bit like a care: daunting when we don’t know how to use it, but then so freeing once we do. We can travel, adventure, explore, and grow: pedal to the metal, and we’re off doing something great for us.

That’s what ALTs provide for students: chance. We have the ability to give them a chance to be free with English and really grow to be Bilingual and not just Educated.

With that growth in mind from two days of conversation, I’m really going to roll into my re-contracting with the theme of “Application.” I’ll break down my goals for 2018-2019’s contract at a later date (before year’s end) but for now… I’m going to keep applying myself to get to where I know I’m supposed to be for this job.

For where I want to be.

[pixelatedlenses]

Midyear conference is this week, and I’ll be honest… I’m kind of excited.

I’ve had to cloak it a bit because I feel targeted otherwise (a lot of folks I know don’t like it and think it’s a waste of time and when I start to hint I don’t feel at all the same, start trying to make me feel bad and that’s, as Sonic the Hedgehog would say, “No good!”) but honestly, I’m super here for it this year. It’s a good way to bond with my supervisor, who’s really excited to share our teaching and grow with me. I get that not everyone’s gonna use it like that, nor is everyone always in the position to have that. I’m fortunate that I’ve got a crack supervisor who’s got a great heart.

(Plus, we get to pop in the local Melon de Melon melon bread shop. Bread’s on me, JTE. Bread’s on me.)

Fast growing and coming to a point of “So what?” though when people don’t get why I’m hyped about something. I’ve got my life to live, and if I’m excited, I’m excited: I just won’t be so eager to share. Not everyone is here for your excitement, you know?

Still, I’m gonna wrap up my mound of homework (homework! First time in a year, and it feels really good... and tough!) on Wednesday so that Thursday, it’s just copies in the morning, then a quick drive to city center for two days of fruitful learning.

Here’s to new growth all around!

[travisleonardi]

2014 ASHP Midyear Conference Was a Major Success

Travis Leonardi is a seasoned professional in the pharmacy industry and the founder of Sentry Data Systems, a data management company that markets integrated network platforms to hospitals and pharmacies to help reduce costs and improve efficiency within hospital systems. A graduate of St. Johns University in New York, Travis Leonardi earned a degree in pharmacy. He is also a member of the American Society of Healthcare Pharmacists (ASHP), a national organization that provides resources for pharmacists and their careers. Since its inception in 1942, ASHP has advocated for hospital pharmacies and its 40,000 members. ASHP focuses on improving medications and ensuring safety for patients by connecting pharmacists around the country and providing them a voice within their profession. The organization hosts numerous conferences annually, such as its annual midyear conference. The December 2014 Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition took place at the Anaheim Convention Campus in Orange County, California. The meeting was the ASHP's 49th meeting, and featured multiple symposiums, spotlight events, keynote speeches, as well as nightly social functions. A residency showcase also enabled prospective residents to have recruitment opportunities by meeting directors of residency programs around the country. The 2014 event, which drew pharmacists from across the globe, will be followed up by the December 2015 conference to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana.