Cancel the Portfolio

Here is a petition I hope you take time to read this, and sign the petition below. The Grade 12's do not have to complete the Portfolio to pass Grade 12. We, as Grade 11's do. We have begun our Portfolio's. We have many components completed. It states on the BC Education website that the Portfolio is going to be assessed and changes may be made. As some of us may have possibly completed the majority of the Portfolio, and some are well on our start, we do not feel it would be fair to have started it, and then have it changed and our work be for nothing. The Graduation Portfolio will not make us well rounded. We are already stressed enough with the hard work for Grade 11, our exams and tests, and the extensive work load. The majority of us do not have the time to do 80 hours of excersise, 30 hours of volunteer work, and write countless paragraphs about various things that do not interest us. Forced volunteer work is not, in any way, a way for us to become 'Well Rounded'. It is a way for us to become rebellious, angry, frustraded, and overwhelmed. You cannot force someone to do volunteer work and learn from it. As young adults, one thing we dislike the most is being pushed into something we disagree with. We are developing opinions on things, growing out of our childish minds and begin to look at the big picture. What you, the government, can do is ENCOURAGE us to volunteer, ENCOURAGE us to exercise, ENCOURAGE us to work, and ENCOURAGE us to step outside our boundaries of interests. We would be willing to do these things, as they are on our OWN terms. Having guest speakers speak about their experiences in the work force, or as a volunteer is much more motivating than a binder dictating what to do. We had a guest speaker at our school speak to us about the affects of drunk driving. It was a very inspiring hour and a half. As I am sure many of you agree. That is how you connect with teenagers and young adults. Not by handing us a binder and saying " Do it. Or you will not graduate." That is not a lesson the government should be teaching us.