In recent years a new graduation requirement was made in British Columbia, the B.C. Graduation Portfolio. In said portfolio students must make reflections on their education as well as complete a ridiculous number of hours of documented physical activity. Although this process is supposed to last from grade 10 through grade 12, many students (such as myself) were, until recently, poorly informed of the nature and severity of the portfolio process. When we realize the impact and effect of the portfolio we can only come to the conclusion that it’s a worthless process dreamed up by people who consider themselves to be liberals but at the same time create great restrictions on the students’ academic freedoms. Many students given the means would have portfolio’s creator lynched. The vast majority of portfolio supporters (the people who say “Suck it up”) have already graduated high school and would most likely not support the portfolio had they have to do it themselves. In the following paragraphs I intend to prove that portfolio is something the students of British Columbia neither want nor need.

One of the biggest problems I, and many of my peers, have with the portfolio is the tremendous amount of stress it puts on the high school populace. You know that feeling of stress and anxiety you have when you have am important test coming up, or when you have a project near due that you’re no where near completing? Imagine feeling that way all the time for THREE MISERABLE YEARS. It’s a horrible strain to put on the mind of a student; constantly fearing a coming event for years and years. It’s enough to drive you mad. And I don’t doubt someone may actually be driven to insanity by this mind boggling process.

A lot of these types of programs in schools were started because someone decided parents weren’t doing their jobs. Classes like Planning and CAPP should exist but should be optional. The students have the right to choose whether learn those types of things themselves, or to be taught by the schools. Given the opportunity to never again discuss personal reflection the average student would jump at the chance.

A quarter of a century ago, high school pupils had only to pass all the required classes, like Math and English, to graduate, but somewhere along the line somebody decided that was too easy, not sadistic enough for them. There are some things you just don’t need to go to school for, things like writing cheques and doing laundry. Anything that can be taught within an hour shouldn’t be required as a classroom activity. Portfolio enhances these types of mundane and drudgerous activities by forcing you to reflect upon them, not only that, but to write papers about said reflection. For those not in touch with their emotional side, these reflections are of the most frustrating things to comprehend.

One issue many find particularly oxymoronic is the mandatory volunteer hours. If someone has no choice whether or not to volunteer, they haven’t volunteered, they’ve been voluntold. Such acts are comparable to slavery, although we do have the choice not to complete these hours, not doing so would result in a failure to graduate high school. I don’t need to remind you that being a high school drop out isn’t the most desirable quality in a prospective employee or life partner. Some will argue that volunteer work enriches peoples live, these people are clearly hippies. The only reason anyone ever volunteers for anything is out of guilt or boredom. I for one have never once had the desire to volunteer for anything, ever.

The work experience hours aren’t a picnic either. Who are they to force us to get jobs? It’s just another way to oppress the freedoms of the students of B.C.

I’m all for the progression of society, but not all changes are good ones. For example, the Final Solution was a change, although based on ancient ideas. The change should also be questioned when an overwhelming majority hate it, and a select few fight it kicking and screaming. If offered the chance in the form of a plebiscite, the students would most likely vote for the old graduation program.

As mentioned before many adults support the portfolio program, but one wonders if they’d feel this way with the roles reversed, being made to do 10x the work of someone else because one was born a few months later. How many adults would go back to school to create their portfolios? If the portfolio forced grown adults who had graduated n B.C. to go back and reflect on their high school experience as well as document 80 hours of physical activity, no one would support the program. And I’m just skimming bits out of the portfolio; it’s much larger than this.

Now, many would consider it easy to get 80 hours of physical activity, and it is. The trouble many students come across is the documentation of said physical activity. The documentation must come from a coach or supervisor, and every hour must be accounted for. Obviously the students must provide more documentation than a signature or two, which would be easy. Photographs or video must also be provided. In reality this aspect of portfolio is just a way to force the students to partake in PE Class.

It seems nobody thought the portfolio could have a negative effect on the academic well-being of students. In many schools students must attend a class called “Portfolio Rotation” which does give opportunity for students to do some of the ridiculous aspects that would never come up through the course normal education, such as extensively critiquing a piece of art. Unfortunately the negative effect of this class far outweighs that advantage, that effect being a harsh blow to the GPA. I personally know at least half a dozen people who failed at least one term of portfolio rotation, many of them honour students. Although the portfolio rotation seems easy, may of the assignments are the reflective types of writings that the less emotional of students find to be incredibly confusing. While in others students are asked to support an idea that they themselves do not share such as a respect for art, or belief that the system works. This portfolio rotation clearly does more harm than good.

Perhaps one of the most blatant offenses of the portfolio and its supporters is the refusal to reveal the general hatred toward it. In part of the portfolio rotation we were shown a video of portfolio presentations in which students professed that they were enriched by the experience. We were shown testimony from four students. What about the other 200+ students, were we to assume they loved it as much as the brown-nosers in the video?

There are clearly many problems with the B.C. Graduation Portfolio. And the best solution is simply to eliminate it and simply go back to the old system. Portfolio is clearly flawed and needs to be dealt with—swiftly. So make complaints! Organize protests! Do what ever is possible within your power to get rid of this abomination labeled Portfolio! And hope we can end it before it’s too late.