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.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Soapbox (kind of)
I've been looking at the layout of my blog, lately, and have been thinking that it's time for change. Hmmm, where else have I been hearing that expression? Oh, yeah, I just remembered. B.O. It should be B.H.O., but I remember he was a little sensitive about his middle name, so I wouldn't dare use it - general public and media do not criticize or ask probing questions of our "citizen of the world", from my viewpoint, anyway. I guess I'm a little irritated with our new president because I'm busy enough. Now I'm going to have to get more involved than ever to keep an eye on this charming guy.
The change I really was talking about is my my blog. "Write to Inform" is slowly peeking forth. That is the name on my business card for my writing business, the pursuit of which, I am about to step up. That's why I'm angry about our new president. I need to watch him closely and I'll probably end up involved with some group or other to fight some of the "change" that may come. Dang, Drat, *&#@, Mr. Obama! I don't have time for this.
The change I really was talking about is my my blog. "Write to Inform" is slowly peeking forth. That is the name on my business card for my writing business, the pursuit of which, I am about to step up. That's why I'm angry about our new president. I need to watch him closely and I'll probably end up involved with some group or other to fight some of the "change" that may come. Dang, Drat, *&#@, Mr. Obama! I don't have time for this.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Takes My Breath Away
There she is, my daughter, now a married woman to a loving and kind husband. Such an exciting time for them! College graduation is upcoming; a move to their new home in Michigan and new jobs and new friends.
I'm ready. College, 2,000 miles away for 4 years braced me for a distance relationship. So, more phone calls, text messages, emails, blogs, and old fashioned handwritten letters - flickr, facebook, and... plane tickets.
She's ready. Once the shy little girl behind the book or the camera, Jenn learned of and observed her world, on her own terms, cautiously and analytically. One toe in the water, then another, then the whole foot, then both feet.
The result? A loving, compassionate and gentle young woman, assured of the goodness of most people, and free to love (both feet first), with all her heart, her new husband and family. Another result? I am just so proud of my girl. Dad is too.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
I Have a New Family-In-Law!
Yesterday, amid a cold, windy, snowy afternoon, Jennifer was married in the Mount Timpanogas Temple. Aaron's mom, Sheri, held a beautiful reception for them at the Rose Garden in Sandy. It was a warm, loving evening. Jennifer was radiant - mingling with the guests and having a wonderful time. Memories of a little girl, shy and sweet, juxtaposed themselves next to the vision now before me - my daughter and her loving, handsome husband, embarking on their new lives together.
It's 2:45 a.m. Our suitcases in the kitchen. Everyone went to bed. It will be good to be back in my own bed.
Next week I'll hold a reception here at home. Aaron and Jenn will leave the next day to return to Utah to set up the condo for the two of them, and then finally, I can give my son, Matthew, some of the attention he has not received during his first semester at college!
It's 2:45 a.m. Our suitcases in the kitchen. Everyone went to bed. It will be good to be back in my own bed.
Next week I'll hold a reception here at home. Aaron and Jenn will leave the next day to return to Utah to set up the condo for the two of them, and then finally, I can give my son, Matthew, some of the attention he has not received during his first semester at college!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
What Good is a Bad To-Do List?
There's something to be said in favor of the traditional wedding reception, you know, in a banquet facility, where they take care of all the details, and you just have to enjoy your fruit cup and chicken dinner. Where is the stress with a wedding reception like that? What could possibly be on the to do list?
Does their to-do list sound like this: clean & empty fridge, clean oven, inventory serving platters & utensils, remove the oversized sleep sofa to the garage - and does it include a timeline for the cooking and baking?
How about: move kitchen table & chairs to garage, move black leather couch to kitchen, move the birdcages upstairs, and figure out a way to pipe music throughout the house.
Do your Christmas shopping.
If you're a mother of a bride using the banquet facility, don't slap me with your to-do list just yet! It's probably quiet normal for us to overstress, overplan, and over to-do. Whatever the banquet facility provides, we will always want something different or additional for our children's special day, the beginning of their new life, unforgettable, customized.
Yesterday I removed my cape and called a caterer. Yes - chicken cordon bleu and tenderloin au jus, to be picked up at 5pm on reception day. Yes!
I called a talented woman I know and asked if she could come over to help me decorate the staircase next week. Yes! My other friends don't know it yet, but I'm going to ask them to come over and sew the aprons for all the kitchen helpers...oh nooooo.... i forgot to find kitchen helpers ....the kind that really will wash dishes, collect trash, and put hordouvres in (and out) of the oven.
Oh, fanab, that wasn't even on my to do list!
Does their to-do list sound like this: clean & empty fridge, clean oven, inventory serving platters & utensils, remove the oversized sleep sofa to the garage - and does it include a timeline for the cooking and baking?
How about: move kitchen table & chairs to garage, move black leather couch to kitchen, move the birdcages upstairs, and figure out a way to pipe music throughout the house.
Do your Christmas shopping.
If you're a mother of a bride using the banquet facility, don't slap me with your to-do list just yet! It's probably quiet normal for us to overstress, overplan, and over to-do. Whatever the banquet facility provides, we will always want something different or additional for our children's special day, the beginning of their new life, unforgettable, customized.
Yesterday I removed my cape and called a caterer. Yes - chicken cordon bleu and tenderloin au jus, to be picked up at 5pm on reception day. Yes!
I called a talented woman I know and asked if she could come over to help me decorate the staircase next week. Yes! My other friends don't know it yet, but I'm going to ask them to come over and sew the aprons for all the kitchen helpers...oh nooooo.... i forgot to find kitchen helpers ....the kind that really will wash dishes, collect trash, and put hordouvres in (and out) of the oven.
Oh, fanab, that wasn't even on my to do list!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Day 1-Panic
Today is my personal d-day. I swore Thanksgiving weekend as the kickoff for high paced, serious, wedding reception prep. Low level panic swirls in my core. Everything must be ready before we go to Utah, including Christmas, which is between the wedding and the reception. 18 days.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Mother of Bride Jitters
Apres wedding= Normalcy.
Mother of bride dress&*#@#: should have dieted.
A son-in-law= Wow, Wonderful.
Nest emptying= Emotional.
Love= Bursting with it.
New in-law's= The Best - every one.
Mood= Up, upside down, pensive, euphoric, reminiscent
Me as Mother= Remember the good, forgive the mistakes.
Passage, new=Enjoy, keep moving
Mother of bride dress&*#@#: should have dieted.
A son-in-law= Wow, Wonderful.
Nest emptying= Emotional.
Love= Bursting with it.
New in-law's= The Best - every one.
Mood= Up, upside down, pensive, euphoric, reminiscent
Me as Mother= Remember the good, forgive the mistakes.
Passage, new=Enjoy, keep moving
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A Day With Young Jekyl & Hyde
Only one worksheet of math? That's all you have for homework? And you want to do the dishes for me? You're so sweet, why don't you take this time to get to bed earlier, since you have nothing else to do, sweetie.
Next morning: Why are you still in bed? You've got 1/2 hour - you can do it. What? You have homework to do? The bus comes in 5 minutes - no, it's not my fault. Have a good day..byyyee!
Next morning: Why are you still in bed? You've got 1/2 hour - you can do it. What? You have homework to do? The bus comes in 5 minutes - no, it's not my fault. Have a good day..byyyee!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Summer Stories of My Dreams
Tomorrow, from 11am - 1:30pm, the phone may ring, the dog may bark, my stomach may growl, but I vow not to respond. Close the blinds, move the clutter out of my line of vision, put a new ink cartridge in the printer and gather the summer notebooks. The poems and stories scrawled therein will come forth. It's time to type 'em up and take a good look because, actually, they are haunting me.
I dreamt of the gnarly scrub pines of Cape Cod. "Finish me," the tallest pine whispers, reminding me of the quiet hour spent pondering his nightmarish shape and the abundance of life at home in his old, weathered arms. "Finish my story," he calls again. "You knew I was trying to find the words", I acknowledged in my dream voice. This goes on, and, being that it's a dream, the conversation becomes more than ridiculous - it becomes ridiculouser.
The stories want to get out of the Harriet the Spy composition book I carried around all summer. Their days will probably play out as a document in a folder titled, 'Writing', but they'll have a title and legibility. That's all I can promise. So, please, no more whining in my sleep; I'll let you out tomorrow!
I dreamt of the gnarly scrub pines of Cape Cod. "Finish me," the tallest pine whispers, reminding me of the quiet hour spent pondering his nightmarish shape and the abundance of life at home in his old, weathered arms. "Finish my story," he calls again. "You knew I was trying to find the words", I acknowledged in my dream voice. This goes on, and, being that it's a dream, the conversation becomes more than ridiculous - it becomes ridiculouser.
The stories want to get out of the Harriet the Spy composition book I carried around all summer. Their days will probably play out as a document in a folder titled, 'Writing', but they'll have a title and legibility. That's all I can promise. So, please, no more whining in my sleep; I'll let you out tomorrow!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Cheap? Who, Me?
The wedding is on my mind. I will not be one of those mothers. Repeat. I will not be the mother that only talks about her daughter's wedding. So, anyway, my generous beloved hubby has told all out of town relatives that we will pay for their hotel rooms. They will need rooms for two nights. We will require 18 rooms. ALL of our relatives are out of state.
People often put up the relatives on couches, cots, tents, and the kids rooms. This is a fact. I've slept on the floor, on an airmattress that was flat by 3:30 am. I've also slept on a sleep sofa that is actually a metal frame. The mattress thing is merely candycoating, so I'll think I'm getting the good bed.
The closeness and camaraderie that can develop from an extended family sleepover, is precious and I want in! But, if morning shows my body with the indent of a bedframe embedded in my back, not to be filled in again until lunch, then get me out of there and bye bye camaraderie.
Hotel Rooms are a good investment. Closeness and friendship are better forged after a goodnights rest. Oh, and families with kids get rooms in hotels with indoor pools.
People often put up the relatives on couches, cots, tents, and the kids rooms. This is a fact. I've slept on the floor, on an airmattress that was flat by 3:30 am. I've also slept on a sleep sofa that is actually a metal frame. The mattress thing is merely candycoating, so I'll think I'm getting the good bed.
The closeness and camaraderie that can develop from an extended family sleepover, is precious and I want in! But, if morning shows my body with the indent of a bedframe embedded in my back, not to be filled in again until lunch, then get me out of there and bye bye camaraderie.
Hotel Rooms are a good investment. Closeness and friendship are better forged after a goodnights rest. Oh, and families with kids get rooms in hotels with indoor pools.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
No Chicken Dance, I Promise
How I would love to attend an old fashioned country wedding. No caterers or DJ's are invited to this shindig! For days, exquisite aromas from the kitchens tantalize and heighten anticipation of the celebrating to come. Violins, are tuned , and accordions dusted. The Bride fusses at her hair, her dress, her mother. The Groom is keeping busy, anything to assuage the alternating nerves, the slow passage of time, and the explicit taunting from his older brothers, for the honeymoon to come.
The Epcot Center's French Pavillion features a beautiful film about the country and its' people. Impressed by the traditional, country wedding upon which we eavesdropped from our comfy theatre seats, I warmed to the simplicity and joy of their celebration, which would last for days.
We have a family wedding coming - fast. The bride is 2,000 miles away and I, the mother of this beautiful bride-to-be, want to celebrate the beginning of the eternal union of my daughter and new son with days of dancing, abundance of good food, and all the relatives - close and distant.
They will be anxious to get back to college for the new semester and the bride does not like to dance, so we nix the dancing and limit the days of celebrating. What remains is the good food and close relatives.
The Epcot Center's French Pavillion features a beautiful film about the country and its' people. Impressed by the traditional, country wedding upon which we eavesdropped from our comfy theatre seats, I warmed to the simplicity and joy of their celebration, which would last for days.
We have a family wedding coming - fast. The bride is 2,000 miles away and I, the mother of this beautiful bride-to-be, want to celebrate the beginning of the eternal union of my daughter and new son with days of dancing, abundance of good food, and all the relatives - close and distant.
They will be anxious to get back to college for the new semester and the bride does not like to dance, so we nix the dancing and limit the days of celebrating. What remains is the good food and close relatives.
My heritage is not one of quiet celebrations, but a new day is here. A new challenge. I can do this. Do you think we could sneak just one "Hokey-Pokey?"
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