Re: Adventures in bus driving ------ by Mr. "B"

Leave it to the gifted kids to tell you they are uncomfortable.  If it had been one of the bus routes from hell, they would have said "DUDE!"  Have fun!

Jean

On Fri, Mar 14, 2008 at 10:51 PM, Errol Bagley <eebagley@hotmail.com> wrote:

Well it finally happened. After weeks of safety and first aid classes--sexual harrasment and student management classes---- learning every part of a 40 ft. bus as if you were looking at it with an ex-ray machine----  learning to drive this bohemoth in rush hour traffic two times a day---traffic law and all the things that you could be held accountable for in a lawsuit--- learning to deal with angry parents, angry principals, and angry students---- I have job for $12.50 an Hr.

 

They gave me a route the first day. There are lots for routes that are called the routes from hell to the schools of last chance. Being the lowest on the senerority list your fear is that you will get one of these to start with. I did not. My route, at least for now is the gifted children to the high performers academy.

 

The current driver was with me for the first trip. As the students got on the bus they ask me who I was. Standing near the drivers seat I thought should have been a clue.------- I told them that  I was a driver in training and that was why the training wheels were on the bus---Hadn't they noticed? I then added that I didn't know too much but I did know how to get to Flaggstaff and I thought that I could get the bus though the drive though at Jack-In-The-Box if they wanted to stop. One of the boys looked at me and said "I am not feeling too comforable about all this". They did take their seats and I got them home allright.

 

The next morning was a bit of a panic as I was on my own. I had covered the first four stops and there weren't  students at any of them. I  was starting to wondered how I was going to explain to dispatch that there weren't and kids on my route and maybe I was in Flaggstaff. Finally at the fifth stop there were three students. I asked anxiously "Where was everyone at the the first four stops"? They told me that there usually is no-one at those stops. I'm starting to feel  better .

 

The former driver introduced me as Mr. "B" so I guess that will be my bus name. Sorry to bother you with all these facts but this is all pretty new to this 64 year old.

 

Love, Dad