It’s difficult to talk about this week. So much sadness and happiness overwhelm my heart when I think about my last week or last day of practicum. It was a bittersweet week but mostly bitter. I was excited to complete my practicum but very sad to leave it and say goodbye to everyone especially the kids that I had built such a strong relationship with. We had a pizza party, exchanged encouraging words, cards, gifts and goodbyes throughout the week but it never felt official until Friday afternoon when I stepped out of the school knowing I might not be back for a very long time. I think the highlight of my practicum and the moment it hit me that I actually made a difference and impact on my students was on Friday. It started with one of the students dressing up with a lovely purple dress and shoes with a little bit of heel that morning. I asked her what the occasion was, and she said she wanted to dress up for me because it was my last day. The day was filled with hugs and goodbyes and pictures. When the bell rang, I was beginning to clean up my desk and get ready to leave when the same student who had dressed up came back with her parents. I had met her dad before on the field trip but not her mother. They both stepped inside the classroom and her mom came up to me and said that she just wanted to come and meet this Ms. Rahmani that her daughter keeps talking about. Then she mentioned how her daughter had been crying the night before for two hours because she was so upset that I was going to leave and she was shocked and confused as to why her daughter would be crying so much for a teacher. I got a little teary and it really made my heart smile to hear that from a parent whom I haven’t even met before.  I left the school smiling, hopeful and determined that this is the career for me. I knew then why all those long nights and hard work was worth it. It was definitely a good end to my ten week practicum.