I’m going to share a strange memory of Mr Dryden, Vice-Principal in charge of student discipline. During my first semester in Grade 9 (1964), I was standing on the sidelines of a Vikings football game. My friend, Dennis (last name withheld to protect the guilty) was shouting out some obscenities at the (opposing team) players. I realized that Mr Brydges and Mr Dryden were standing nearby. I told Dennis to be more polite; he told me to take a hike. When I insisted that he tone it down, I must have caught Mr Dryden’s attention. I got a detention.
Never before had I needed a reprimand, and I didn’t relish starting my high school career with a black mark. I went home that night, sat down and wrote a letter to Mt Dryden to explain what had happened. I then requested a meeting with him the next day. In my letter I explained that I was taught to respect those in authority over me. I wasn’t being rude when I had told Dennis that he should be respectful of the Principal and Vice-Principal.
Mr Dryden read my letter, looked up at me, and said, “We don’t demand respect from our students.” When he said that, the penny dropped: respect is something that’s earned! I apologized for the misunderstanding and told him that it would never happen again. It didn’t…
cdsmiller17 