From: eebagley@hotmail.com
To: eebagley@hotmail.com
Subject: tales of a bus driver
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 08:27:38 -0700
Taking My Students to Church
Some time ago one of my student passengers revealed to me that there was some foul language going on on the bus and he told me who was involved. Not being up to date on the inventive new ways to use the English language I ask him to tell me what kind of verbiage was involved. The poor boy had to repeat it to me three times before I got it though my head what it meant. Yep, that would constitute inappropriate use of words in mixed company on a bus of young people and this was coming from young people. I thanked him for telling me and duly noted the situation. Not knowing how I was going to properly deal with this I put it in my mind and hoped that it would just go away.
A few days later the same boy reported the same conduct from the same boys. I knew that now this would have to be addressed. I spent the next few days planning how I could best correct this problem. I concluded I would get the most mileage out of the situation by not singling out the individual boys as I might miss some but rather by addressing the whole busload. I now planned the time and the place for the" teaching moment".
As it happens my last pickup is on the road at the north parking lot of the LDS church at Val Vista and McClellan. On the day of the instructions I first notified dispatch on the radio that I would be off route for a" teaching moment" after my last pickup. After the pickup at the north parking lot I drove 200ft. to the south parking lot, pulled into the lot and up as close as I could to the front door of the church. I thought this setting lent itself to the instructions I was about to give. As the bus came to this unscheduled stop, the swoosh of the air park brake is heard, and the driver rises from his seat with the PA in hand, there was an uncharacteristic hush that came over my thirty five passengers.
As a former-LDS bishop in front of an LDS church with well over half of my students being LDS there was an instructional speech that I could have given on the subject. I did not give that one. There are ten rules posted at the front of the bus. Cooperate with the bus driver, Stay seated while the bus is moving, no profane language, no smoking on the bus etc. I briefly went over these rules and then pointed out to them that we would focus on the profane language one for a few moments. I told them that some were using language not appropriate for students of their caliber who had qualified to go to The Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies. I told them I knew who was doing it, they knew who was doing it, and the bus camera knew who was doing it and I did not want to hear about it again. After an appropriate and agonizing pause and not wanting this to be remembered as a totally negative moment I added, " I do thank all of you for not smoking on the bus."
Off went the air brake. We circled the parking lot and were off to school. So far I have not heard any more about this inappropriate language. I might add. My students love me. No really, they do.
--Mr. "B"
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