Lessons from the Driver's Seat_Wanda Bishop

By Wanda Bishop

DID YOU KNOW THAT school busing is America’s largest transit system? According to the American School Bus Council, 26 million students ride a school bus every day. School bus drivers across the country are entrusted with the care and safety of more than 25 million children as they are transported to and from school and school-related activities. School buses provide 10 billion annual student rides.
Each school bus carries fifty to sixty-five passengers per route, per school. Most drivers have three daily pickup routes in the morning and afternoons. The first route picks up elementary school children, the second route picks up middle school children, and the third route picks up high schoolers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hybrid Global Publishing
• Release date: Jun 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781951943578

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PREFACE

DID YOU KNOW THAT school busing is America’s largest transit system? According to the American School Bus Council, 26 million students ride a school bus every day. School bus drivers across the country are entrusted with the care and safety of more than 25 million children as they are transported to and from school and school-related activities. School buses provide 10 billion annual student rides.

Each school bus carries fifty to sixty-five passengers per route, per school. Most drivers have three daily pickup routes in the morning and afternoons. The first route picks up elementary school children, the second route picks up middle school children, and the third route picks up high schoolers.

I’ve had the privilege of being a school bus driver for nearly twenty years, and every single day has been a new adventure. I’ve also learned some unforgettable lessons. I have witnessed some of the funniest, craziest incidents on my bus, but I’ve also experienced some of the saddest, most heartbreaking moments.

Parents, grandparents, and guardians, you have no idea what goes on inside the bus that transports their precious cargo. I am excited and thankful to have this opportunity to share with you this incredible journey of driving your children to and from school.

Most school districts require 188 days of school per year. This allows plenty of time to get acquainted with our students. We share their excitement when they have good days. We also feel their heartaches when they have sad days or experience disappointments. It’s been amazing to watch kids grow from toothless little kindergarteners to graduating seniors. It’s been a privilege to watch them learn, grow, and develop mentally, physically, and emotionally.

I have loved listening to their stories and answering their questions. Some discussions were about everyday subjects—teachers, homework, grades, and achievements. Many conversations (and questions) centered around the seasons and holidays. Is Santa Claus really real? Do you believe in the Easter Bunny? What about the tooth fairy? Are there ghosts on the bus during Halloween week? We even talked about religion, politics, and Mother Nature. Debating whether or not to answer some of those questions taught me many lessons. Directing students to take these conversations home was one of those lessons.

I’ve always wished I could spend more time with the kids on my bus. You can’t help but feel some connection with them when you’re with them every day for nearly nine months. Children are the best human beings on the face of this Earth. They are so pure, innocent, and curious. They want to know everything about anything. They are funny, entertaining, and full of love and life itself. They just want to be someone’s special somebody.

It always made me sad when a student would get so excited to see their parent at their bus stop that they could barely wait for the bus doors to open, only to be shushed away with a hand gesture while that parent couldn’t or wouldn’t get off their cell phone. Couldn’t they spare five minutes to hug their child and ask how their day had been? I would almost cry as I saw their little shoulders just droop with disappointment as they walked home. I observed this with all ages, too—not just the little ones.

Once we were driving through the countryside. I heard a little boy yell out, There’s no such thing as boy cows! Boy cows are called bulls, and you can tell that by their thingies hanging down. The rest of our country drive turned into sex education about cows.

One day I heard a little boy shout out, God is dead! Another little boy responded, No, he is not! The first boy shot back, I saw him on the news, and he was bleeding all over his face and hands, and his feet was bleeding, too, and that means he was dead.

I also heard stories about family problems. One little girl told me that her grandma was mad at her daddy. She heard her grandma say that her daddy was acting very inappropriate. When she asked her grandma what that meant, her gramma told her, Your daddy just got stupid drunk!

For middle school-age kids, this is the time for many changes. It might even be one of the hardest times for kids growing up. This is the time for eyeglasses, pimples, and puberty.