Phillip is in first grade. I just love him. He is so darn cute. A little chubby with a big round face. Phillip causes a lot of problems. I keep my eye on Phillip every day.
How does Phillip know when I'm checking on everyone in the rear view mirror? Each time I look back, he is looking at me, poised in the midst of doing something. Many of my 1st nine days as a driver, Phillip sat up front.
My choice, not his.
One day, after dropping off the K-1 kids, I proceeded to the next school to drop off the 2nd-4th's. As the kids file past me, I'm repeatedly informed, "Bus Driver!, Adin is crying!" or "Bus Driver, Adin missed his stop." The bus empties of the final 50 children except one.
The top of a red hoodie is barely visible over the top of a seat in the back.
I could not leave my seat and other buses were lined up behind me waiting to go. "Sweetheart, come up front," I called serveral times until the red hoodie finally moved, slowly walking up the aisle. The red hoodie was on a little, dark, crying, kindergartener.
"You just sit down right here and we'll go right back to Gockley. Don't worry, it's ok. Really. No one will be mad at you."
"What's your name?" "What?" "Tell me again."
Sobbing and heaving, "...hit..me". "Who hit you?"
"Phillip. Phillip hit me," sob, sob, sob.
Adin sobbed and hiccuped for the 5 minute ride back to his school. His little body was spent and prostrate on the floor when we arrived. One of the teachers on bus duty boarded my bus and utilized all their special teacher skills to get Adin into school!
Phillip is permanently in the front seat!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Day 1 Mentors
My last post signed off with the promise of introducing Phillip and the K-child. I'll get to them. Believe me, there are a ton of Phillips and crying K-children. I won't forget Phillip.
Back to Day 1
First day as a bus driver I was a passenger. Front seat, notebook in hand, busy jotting down the route, bus stops, difficult turns to watch out for, etc. This morning run was driven by a quiet man who patiently expained bus driving things as we meandered along the route.
Instruction from the Potty
The afternoon driver.... speaks for itself. The first thing this big bellied, know everyone, good hearted man bellowed to me was: "Rule number 1. Don't let them give you any SH#@!!"
"Okay", I mewed.
Because of the speed at which he drove the bus and took the turns, I was concentrating on my task of notetaking yet I managed to hear a little voice across the aisle. Two little angels were looking at me, eyes big and expectant. "What did you say, sweetheart?", I asked. "Would you like to play I-Spy with us?", he asked breathlessly, as though he were offering me a million bucks. What did the driver mean by take no SH#@?
Middle School
Now I know what he meant by take no SH#@. Foul mouth continued spewing forth his sage advice, peppered with SH##s and BIT##s and DAM$s and more SH#$S, as he attacked the winding road, foot pressed full on the throttle. "Language!!" he roared, suddenly, looking in the rear view mirror. I never heard the offending word, and I was amazed that such a potty mouth (learned that word from the mid schoolers) would even notice. Apparently he does not tolerate offensive language on his bus.
The middle school run has become my favorite. Foul language has been squashed, thanks to tattle telling girls..who have pointed out the 'potty mouths'. Middle school girls tattle!
This week I assigned three boys to the front seats. Troublemakers. Having them up front enabled me to get to know them a little. They're not so bad. They're kids.
Back to Day 1
First day as a bus driver I was a passenger. Front seat, notebook in hand, busy jotting down the route, bus stops, difficult turns to watch out for, etc. This morning run was driven by a quiet man who patiently expained bus driving things as we meandered along the route.
Instruction from the Potty
The afternoon driver.... speaks for itself. The first thing this big bellied, know everyone, good hearted man bellowed to me was: "Rule number 1. Don't let them give you any SH#@!!"
"Okay", I mewed.
Because of the speed at which he drove the bus and took the turns, I was concentrating on my task of notetaking yet I managed to hear a little voice across the aisle. Two little angels were looking at me, eyes big and expectant. "What did you say, sweetheart?", I asked. "Would you like to play I-Spy with us?", he asked breathlessly, as though he were offering me a million bucks. What did the driver mean by take no SH#@?
Middle School
Now I know what he meant by take no SH#@. Foul mouth continued spewing forth his sage advice, peppered with SH##s and BIT##s and DAM$s and more SH#$S, as he attacked the winding road, foot pressed full on the throttle. "Language!!" he roared, suddenly, looking in the rear view mirror. I never heard the offending word, and I was amazed that such a potty mouth (learned that word from the mid schoolers) would even notice. Apparently he does not tolerate offensive language on his bus.
The middle school run has become my favorite. Foul language has been squashed, thanks to tattle telling girls..who have pointed out the 'potty mouths'. Middle school girls tattle!
This week I assigned three boys to the front seats. Troublemakers. Having them up front enabled me to get to know them a little. They're not so bad. They're kids.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Bus Driver! Bus Driver!
The Newbie Speaks
I've been driving a school bus for four days and...I like it. Two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, sitting up high and trying not to take out street signs when I take left turns. The highlight of each of those shifts is my elementary school run.
I'm Telling!
My last run on each shift is the K-4th graders. In the morning, I deliver them to two schools (on the same campus): the K-1st school and the 2nd - 4th school. First, I go to the K-1 school. We always have to wait about five minutes until the teachers come out before opening the bus doors. That's when the tattling, and my battle to keep a straight face, begins. There are several stories to tell, but I'll just tell a little for now.
Case Dismissed
Two adorable kindergaten girls approached me. One had her little hand on the side of her face. Try to imagine this:
Cutie#1: Bus Driver, she hit me with her backpack.
Cutie#2: By accident
Cutie#1: Yes, by accident.
Me, thinking: "then what are we tattling for"
Me, saying: "Well, are you okay?"
Cutie#1 & Cutie#2: Yes, it's okay.
This afternoon Phillip will sit in the front seat
Phillip is in 2nd grade. He has a crew cute and a little round face. When I check on the kids in the rear view mirror, I notice that Phillip notices this and looks right at me. It's as though I'm always catching him about to do something naughty. He is naughty.
I've been driving a school bus for four days and...I like it. Two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, sitting up high and trying not to take out street signs when I take left turns. The highlight of each of those shifts is my elementary school run.
I'm Telling!
My last run on each shift is the K-4th graders. In the morning, I deliver them to two schools (on the same campus): the K-1st school and the 2nd - 4th school. First, I go to the K-1 school. We always have to wait about five minutes until the teachers come out before opening the bus doors. That's when the tattling, and my battle to keep a straight face, begins. There are several stories to tell, but I'll just tell a little for now.
Case Dismissed
Two adorable kindergaten girls approached me. One had her little hand on the side of her face. Try to imagine this:
Cutie#1: Bus Driver, she hit me with her backpack.
Cutie#2: By accident
Cutie#1: Yes, by accident.
Me, thinking: "then what are we tattling for"
Me, saying: "Well, are you okay?"
Cutie#1 & Cutie#2: Yes, it's okay.
This afternoon Phillip will sit in the front seat
Phillip is in 2nd grade. He has a crew cute and a little round face. When I check on the kids in the rear view mirror, I notice that Phillip notices this and looks right at me. It's as though I'm always catching him about to do something naughty. He is naughty.
More on Phillip tomorrow and the crying kindergartener who forgot to get off the bus.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Getting Back On Track
Big day yesterday - passed the school bus driver test! How did this happen? It just did.
Our school district was offering free bus driver training and I thought, "what the heck - it's free, there's a recession, why not learn a new skill?" (Besides, at least it pays pretty well - a lot better, at the moment, than that fledgling writing career!)
It Became a Case of "Stick-to-it-Ness"
Our school district was offering free bus driver training and I thought, "what the heck - it's free, there's a recession, why not learn a new skill?" (Besides, at least it pays pretty well - a lot better, at the moment, than that fledgling writing career!)
It Became a Case of "Stick-to-it-Ness"
--16 hours classroom
--background checks, drug testing
--Commercial Drivers permit - 4tests (Air Brakes, Gen'l Knowledge, Passenger and ?)
--8-12 hours per week on the training course for about 6 weeks
--You wouldn't believe the memorizing I had to do!
--One hour Q&A, maneuvering, and road test with the PennDot examiner.
What Now...
I'm hired... Substitute Driver. Good. That's enough.
Lesson Learned...School bus drivers have an amazing responsibility and it is incredible how much they have to know - at least in this district.
Drop outs...Of the original 28 who signed up for the course - only 5 stayed with it. Would I have signed on for this if I realized how much work was involved? Hmm, I don't know.
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