Graduation - Mature
...ll that we need every possible shortcut, every bit of advice we can get. Today I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to our teachers/tutors for all they have done for us while we tried to come to grips with some subjects we'd forgotten and with other subjects that were uncharted territory to us. Our teachers/tutors were patience and understanding personified. Our success is undoubtedly due, in no small part, to their efforts on our behalf. When we were young we were told that schooldays were the best days of our lives. Even now I have to say I have problems with this one. Studying brings it's own pleasure and rewards of course but, let's be honest about this, it's extremely hard work. The only thing that keeps you going sometimes is the support and encouragement of your classmates. You know by the black rings under their eyes that they are sharing your difficulties too. The saving grace of a student life is, of course, the fun and laughter. Since I have started this course I have cried a bit but laughed a lot more often. How could I help it when my fellow students were such good companions and had so many funny stories to tell, none of which are suitable for a proper occasion such as this. You'll just have to take it from me that they made me laugh. They also opened my eyes to a world I did not know existed. Every student had a different background, a different culture, and a different ethos. I learned more about life from them than I learned in the classroom. Above all I learned how to keep going against the odds. Today I feel like someone who has come out of prison. I know that I h...