EDITOR'S COLUMN - The final countdown has begun with little more than a week left before this year's matriculants begin writing their final exams.
To the students who will soon be in the thick of things, everyone at the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser wishes you success in your 2018 exams and hope you will all be enriched by the rewards of your hard work.
Know that we're behind you, cheering you on to the finish line.
You might be feeling stressed, overwhelmed, confused and so very tired - we understand that, but keep going. Give it everything you've got - you're nearly there - and know that whatever happens next, you've got what it takes for an amazing life - your final grades won't change that. The potential in you is unlimited, whether you've realised it yet or not.
There will be choices, twists and turns in your path, and a lot of that path won't be anything like you imagined. That's one of the beautiful things about life. Sometimes things will work out exactly as you thought, and sometimes things will be different. It's in the unexpected that the magic happens so take notice of your disappointments - they are often opportunities, disguised as something else.
As you sit down to your exams you owe it to yourself to work hard and do your best, but know that the results won't be a measure of you. There is no exam, block of exams, or assessment that will even come close to showing what you are capable of, or the life that's waiting for you.
Education is powerful, but some of the most powerful things your time at school would have given you won't be found on the pages of your numerous textbooks.
Your education has given you the capacity to have a voice and a presence - whether that's through the way you use words, the way you create, the way you play sport or perform – or maybe it's something else.
It's shown you that setbacks are temporary, disappointment doesn't last and enough courage can lift you out of anywhere. It's given you opportunities to flourish your resilience and your wisdom about the way the world works. It's shown you a lot - a lot - about people, and given you insight that can only come from experiencing good ones and not so good ones.
It's taught you about the relationships to seek out and the ones to steer clear of - you'll come across plenty of both.
Hopefully, above all else, it's taught you that you can learn anything and do anything when you put in the effort.
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