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I had emerged relatively unscathed from the
encounter with Mr Mckim in his office, but it was unfortunately not my last
encounter with the principal. In my next year at school, I came across Dr
Gruening, a highly educated, refined gentleman who had come from Germany just
before World War II. To a bunch of fourteen-year old students, however, he was a
weak and incompetent man who could be taken full advantage of. His classes were
always an opportunity fro us to fool around and have fun at his expense. I
myself was an active participant in this mockery although I did not dislike Dr
Gruening. On his part, Dar Gruening magnanimously
ignored most of our pranks until one day when he lost his temper and sent me to
Mr Mckim. Dr Gruening's note led me once again to the chair in Mr Mckim's
office. Recognition dawned on his face when he saw me and I began to pray
hopefully. Consulting my record, he looked puzzled
as if he did not expect to see what he had just seen. I had maintained such good
grades but had so many discipline marks against me. After much thought, he said,
"Ask your father to come and see me." I felt ill. The next day, I was again at
the office, this time with my father. seeing that my father was determined to
keep me in the school, Mr Mckim gave a fairly reasonable sentence. I was to
report to him forty-five minutes before school every morning for the next month
and read 'Great Expectations'. My detention was a great joke to all the other
students who had heard the news but I myself enjoyed the book very much.
About a week later, Dr Gruening brought a stack of papers into the classroom.
The class proceeded as usual but at the end of the lesson, everyone started
crowding around Dr Gruening, asking questions. I had no idea what was going on
until later when someone came up to me and whispered, "We took a copy of
Gruening's examination. We're working on the answers but make sure you
get enough wrong." The next day, the papers
were discreetly passed to me. After much deliberation, I put the copy in my
drawer without looking at it and continued to study my German.
The day of the examination came and went. I did fairly well while those who
had participated unfairly and unjustly did excellently.
After class, Dr Gruening asked me to see him. To my surprise, he told me he was
disappointed in me since it was an easy examination and it was obvious that I
had not studied. Frustrated, I blurted that I had studied very hard and that it
had not been an easy examination. Realizing that I
might have said too much, I mumbled an apology and waited for him to
dismiss me. He pondered for a long time and then said, "Yes, it was not an easy
examination. You studied hard, I know. You did what you should have done."
The next day, Dr Gruening came up with his own method of retaliation and
announced that there would be another examination in two days. The results this
time round were more realistic. I did about the same, while the others did
considerably worse. From that day on, everyone paid full attention in Dr
Gruening's class. |
