The beginning is the end is the beginning

a journey ends before it actually ends, just as it begins before it actually begins. with anticipation.

of course, Yoda would argue against anticipation. he, as in the advice he gave Luke, says that one should keep one's mind in the here and now. but it is not always that easy.

and now that i am coming close to the end of my practicum, i have already started thinking about closure. of course, there are administrative tasks to complete, including getting my practicum file ready (which i really dread doing... not least because my things are all over the place...).

but that, to me, is secondary. what is more important is about closing the loop on the relationships that i've formed with some of my students.

of all my students, i would miss my debaters the most. not least because i don't think that i've had the time to set up a stable system going such that they can continue without me.

and then there are those who, in the short time that i've been there, honoured me enough to open up and pour their hearts out to me.

the word "educate" comes from the Latin words which means "to lead out of". what have i lead out of my students? i'm not sure how much i've achieved in terms of teaching my students. but i hope that nonetheless, i've left something in their lives. or at least some of their lives.

and in that way, this practicum has educated me much. for this practicum has brought out of me a sense of realism and greatly humbled me.

and with the end of this practicum, a new chapter is about to begin. or perhaps it has already begun. with the anticipation of its beginning.