At 6:45 a.m. on a morning when the temperature was -20 F I received a call from the bus coordinator. Two of the three buses in our little town wouldn t start due to the cold. He asked me to see if my little bus would start. If it would I was to pick up… Continue reading The Baby Bus That Could
Bus Driver Diaries — The Anxiety of Hugs
Driving a school bus involves anxiety. The first thing that comes to many people s mind when they think of driving a bus is having to deal with rude and riotous children. Yes, there is anxiety in that. The anxiety is even worse when you have a load of forty high schoolers and you are… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — The Anxiety of Hugs
Bus Driver Diaries — One Cold Morning
Buses have personalities. Every school bus compound is filled with a variety of buses built over a decade or two. School buses are always assigned numbers. That seems a shame to me. Wouldn t it be more interesting if the buses had names? The middle school bus with all its unruly seventh and eighth graders… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — One Cold Morning
Bus Driver Diaries — Popcorn
Substitute bus drivers don t get no respect. Some regular-route bus drivers are aware of this. They tell me that they won t tell their kids when there is going to be a substitute so that the kids won t have time to make nefarious plans. It s a fact that the kids act differently… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — Popcorn
Bus Driver Diaries — Music of the Day
My daughter, a high school senior, likes to sleep as long as any other teenager. I have seen her get out of bed at noon. She is also well-practiced at early mornings. Last Friday I was to pick up the elite high school choir and band at 7:00 am. My daughter got up extra early… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — Music of the Day
Bus Driver Diaries — The Last Girl On the Bus
In the mornings the kids get on the bus sleepily. Very few of them will answer my Good morning. They sit silently at the back in the pre-winter dark like tombstones in a graveyard. In the afternoon these same kids bounce onto the bus full of vinegar and energy. Some of the more thoughtful kids… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — The Last Girl On the Bus
Bus Driver Diaries — Faces Like Music
One of the drawbacks of being a school bus driver is being around snotty, rude, obnoxious kids. One of the perks of being a school bus driver is being around beautiful, gracious, thoughtful kids. Unlike teachers who spend hours, days, and weeks with the local youth population, school bus drivers only see the kids for… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — Faces Like Music
Bus Driver Diaries — I’m Just a Rookie
It s amazing the things you do in life that you never imagined. I m now a substitute school bus driver. Being a substitute school bus driver is not a thing most of us aspire to. No, it s an occupation that you fall into when it comes along at the right time. I m… Continue reading Bus Driver Diaries — I’m Just a Rookie
The Few; The Proud; The Substitute School Bus Driver
I recently joined the ranks of the Juab School District bus drivers. This surprises and humors me. Never in all my days on Earth had I ever envisioned myself driving a school bus. I suppose it s fitting for a man with eight children. When hauling my children my minivan is practically a school bus.… Continue reading The Few; The Proud; The Substitute School Bus Driver