Sometimes I feel very old, especially amongst the very young student I share my daytime with.  They turned 21 this year, I turn 40.  I really am old enough to be their mother and sometimes stuffy enough as well.  Normally I cope quite well amongst them, but sometimes, like today I get so frustrated with their lack of commitment, their inability to grasp how much they were given.  I am doing B. Com, Chartered Accountancy, and if you do not know what that is, just take my word for it, it is very difficult, very complicated.  Only those who really exelled in maths and accounting at school can take it and only about 10 % of those who set out to do it, manage to eventually become CA’s. 

I really am surrounded by the most intelligent young people this country has to offer.  I have to work very hard to keep up.  I must admit, I am very surprised that I am at all able to keep up.  These kids passed their final year at school with between 6 and 11 distinctions!!  Back in the day when I attended school, nobody could do that.  We only had 6 subjects and you were only allowed to do a 7th subject if you were exeptional, and to have a 8th subject you needed permission from the minister of education.  I was not allowed a 7th subject and I only managed 1 distinction.  It was not even in accounting or maths.  You see, I really have to work very hard!!

Working hard is not my problem, my problem today is simply how these kids waste their opportunities.  They miss classed, don’t prepare, don’t do their assignments, don’t do the exercise etc etc etc.  And then they say all this work is simply too much!  If they do not pass, exeptionally difficult, exams, it is the lecturers fault!! How on earth could it be his fault if I am capable of passing with much more responsibilities and much less gray matter to use?  Sometimes it really bowls me over. 

On the other hand there’s lots of very nice and commited young people attending class with me.  Some of them really have a hard time but at least they try.  I am certain a few more years in life experience really add a lot to the studying experience.  Even though these kids can sometimes frustrate me, I realise I would have done exactly the same if I tried to study this course when I was 18 to 22 years old.  Actually I did the same, only a gracious Heavenly Father know how I passed my previous studies, surely it was not due to the effort I’ve put in.

In the end, I am really glad to be a little more grown up.  Still a long way to go though!