Dear students:
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I told you that thinking matters. I'm sorry I made you analyze rather than memorize. I'm sorry I told you to go deeper, find the "why", not just the "what" and "where". I'm sorry I asked you to prove points to me, not just parrot information or point out a country on a map.
I'm sorry I taught you to be thinking individuals, to express your opinion, to disagree with me, and to argue with each other. I'm sorry I asked you to look for the more elusive threads in our history. I'm sorry I persuaded you to understand the government and legal process in this province and this country. I'm sorry I kept pointing to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms on our wall and asking you to compare current events to it.
I'm sorry I made you do those practice essay outlines. I'm sorry I ranted about paragraph structure. I'm sorry I made you all look at that burger on the projector until you could remember what a good intro and conclusion were for. I'm sorry I told you there would be two essays on the test, one on history and one on government or the environment. I'm sorry I made you carry that massive review package and practice test.
I'm sorry the government thinks you don't matter. I'm sorry I kept telling you "I don't know who will be marking it." I'm sorry they lied. I'm sorry they cheated you out of a chance to prove how much you have become thinking, feeling, cognizant members of society. I will always know you have those characteristics. I'm sorry I will have to keep that to myself.
I'm sorry.
Jon Campbell
Prince George
