The very first last...

It's that time of year...
The one part we've been working towards the entire year...
Finals...

It will also be the very first student I help through his final year...
A big first for me!

Today had been a very entertaining day.
My student had started preparing for his finals and it made me realise how far each of us have come, to be able to teach, to be able to learn from our students.

My dear student has been focused the entire morning, given that all his classes are provided by myself, the need to move or talk is not there, as it would be in a normal classroom. I am not stressed about the outcome of his last exam.
While the other students his age had taken a weeks worth of vacation longer than he had did my student been given more classes and more examples of revision with the eye on the final exams.
So when you think about it, who was really the one at a loss here?

I had spoken to my dear student before and after every paper, reassuring him that everything would work out as planned.
His third term marks had also become available and I have to be honest that I feared for the worst.
Please do not misunderstand, I know he has it in him.
But he did much better than that which even himself had expected.

I have come to the following conclusion:

We as teachers place the children (or correctly speaking students) in front of us on different pedestals.

We are scared to place them on a pedestal that seams to high for ourselves.
I have been shocked by his amazing results, I have even changed my goals from 2 distinctions to 4!

You my dear boy had come so very far in this long and windy road and in less than 30 days you will be done and on your way.

The week off had done us good and here we are, ready to start anew.

Good luck my sweet boy!
The end is near!