Dewey Finn (Jack Black) a rock & roll fanatic, desperate over being kicked out of a band and being unemployed, impersonates his roommate and accepts a substitute teacher assignment for a fifth grade class at a prep school. That's the plot of the 2003 comedy "School of Rock."
At first, Dewey blows off the children, but when he overhears his pupils playing in music class he realizes that the children of his class are musically talented. He decides to turn his temporary job into what he tells them is a special class project, but is actually a personal one. Dewey wants to turn his unsuspecting students into a rock band and crew, which will serve as a vehicle to stardom. Dewey's goal is to beat his old band at an upcoming Battle of the Bands and walk away with the $20,000 prize.
Of course, Dewey is exposed for the fraud that he is. He is disgraced. But his pupils believe in him and through their own initiative make the battle of bands happen. It is at this point that Dewey realizes his selfishness. To the students in the school bus, Dewey offers his apology:
I'm sorry that I used you guys. I'm sorry I lied to you. It's not cool to lie to your band.
The apology is short but very direct. Dewey takes responsibility for two specific behaviors: using other people for one's own needs and deception. By claiming that "It's not cool to lie to your band," Dewey honors one of the most important powers of apology: that despite violating a value, he really is committed to a value held dear by the community he hopes to rejoin. When an offender does so, it makes it easier for a community to forgive.
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