SMT Profiles: Mr Dixon – by Adam Warren and Patrick Vickers
In the first of a new series profiling the school’s top dogs, Adam Warren and Patrick Vickers go in search of the man behind the mess cards: Mr Dixon, Second Master…
Mr Dixon. Second Master, old Deputy Head, Teacher of Chemistry, the face of discipline at RHS… AND… a huge Pet Shop Boys fan! In the later part of September, Patrick Vickers and I went to visit the Second Master himself in his spacious (but, in some ways, blandly decorated) office by the Assembly Hall. Our interview with him was eye-opening, insightful and quite shocking.
The office of the Second Master is one in which few can say they have felt relaxed. Mr Dixon’s office is actually quite bare apart from his pride-of-place oars from his Uni days as a rower. Having sat down in his over-sized, squeaky and, frankly, hideous lounge seating,we opened with the obvious:
“So, Mr Dixon-” At which point the interview was helpfully halted while Mr Dixon questioned the reasoning behind a pair of iPads filming his table (So we could record the interview?!). We tried again. “Mr Dixon, What do you actually do… what does a day in the life of the Second Master at RHS constitute?” Apparently, there is no “Normal Day”, merely an endless tirade of meetings, disciplinary matters (“Picking up” was how these were described) and organisation.
This was followed by the question regarding the worst part of his job. The conversation flowed something like this:
“What is the worst part of your job?”
“Chairs.”
“Pardon?”
“Chairs. Chairs in the assembly hall, chairs in chapel [they’re actually pews] and chairs in my office. Chairs.”
Right. Well with that somewhat weird answer done we moved on.
We then asked if, purely hypothetically what the one thing, and only one thing, that if he was allowed to, Mr Dixon would abolish. His answer was very definite – “Early Mess Cards”. There you are, bet you didn’t know that.
Mr Dixon did seem in a very good mood for ten past four on a Tuesday, laughing at nearly everything we said. We learned that his best experience was his first Divisions at RHS (no wonder he always gives permission for a second march past on our stupidly early, normally freezing Wednesday divisions rehearsals). The worst moment in his career? “An accident with a lump of phosphorus” was very (intentionally?) loosely explained.
We moved on to his pre-RHS existence. His worst grade in an external exam whilst at school was a rather respectable C in French O-level (earlier version of the GCSE). Whilst his most serious punishment was being caned for fighting. While all this was going on the Pet Shop Boys (80s classic) was blaring out of his radio. Upon being asked about his favourite modern artist Mr Dixon replied, “Probably still the Pet shop boys; I don’t listen to a great deal of modern music so I don’t know. I quite liked Oasis and Blur – more modern for me than you”. Mate, that was, like, the 1990s.
Interestingly, he apparently would not like to meet the Pet Shop Boys but the one celebrity he would like to meet would be “not Kim Kardashian”, but someone like “Theresa May”.
To unwind “I like eating/cooking spicy Asian dishes. I tried Vietnamese food the other day and it was quite new” (French food not your ‘plat préféré’?). Mr Dixon also likes to run; maybe he should consider doing the mini-marathon (with all that training, 10 miles will be easy).
The Second Master also likes to unwind with some game of Thrones too (Hand of the Headmaster?).
To close, we asked him what the worst prank played on him has been to which he replied, “There hasn’t really been one”. Nelson, get cracking.
The afternoons questioning was wrapped up with a clichéd photo and some thank yous. Until next time.
Our Next Senior management team interview will be – at SJD’s request – the Bursar, when we shall question him on the new Science block? (ask the second master).
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