One evening last week, just before 8 p.m., I was driving my daughter, Alyssa, to her weekly piano lesson.  She turned to me and told me that she thought that her brother, Brandon, needed M&Ms for his grade 9 Business class the next day.  Let’s just say I was not pleased to hear this news at that time of night.  My first question to her was when did Brandon find out he needed these M&Ms?  Once she hesitated in her answer, I knew he found out last week, but forgot to tell either my wife or myself.  I told her that I wasn’t going to the store to buy them at that point in the evening and Brandon would just have to figure it out the next day.  Alyssa knew I meant what I said, as both she and her brother remember the time when Brandon was younger and he arrived at his soccer practice with one shoe.  You may have guessed this, but I didn’t drive home to get the other shoe.  If you have never done this before it is interesting to watch someone play soccer with one shoe.  I am pleased to say that since that practice, Brandon makes sure he leaves the house with all his gear before getting in the car.

Unfortunately, I will never know whether the lesson I was trying to teach Brandon with the M&Ms and being prepared for school made a difference.  When I got home from picking up Alyssa from piano, there was a package of M&Ms on the counter in the kitchen.  My wife, Heather, went out and bought them.  We hadn’t agreed on my M&M strategy in advance…

Derek Logan
Head of School