Driving a School Bus – Why I do it

So you have heard me talk about the Con Air prison bus of school bus routes.  The worst of the worst of the worst.  And then you heard me talk about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of school bus routes.  The best of the best of the best. 

At the end of the day, 99% of drivers end up with something in-between the two extremes.  Kind of a Goldilocks situation if you play your cards right. You know, juuuuuuust right.

A driver has to accept there will always be conflict and the need for discipline, no matter how well you manage your students. Why?  Because students come and go. 

New neighborhoods pop up.  Your route might get adjusted by a few stops as the district forever tries to load balance those 14,000 students across 27 schools.  And most importantly of all, you have to accept the fact that the students themselves change.

I once had a male student that was great until middle school.  Then he just became a first-class s***.  Always acting out to try to impress the girls on the bus.  Always pushing my buttons to buck authority.  He was non-stop maintenance until high school and left my bus.

I once had a female student,  who all thru 3rd grade was just a terror.  Always jumping seats.  Always pulling hair.   Always being mean to other girls.  Every time I heard a scream and looked in the mirror, it was her.  

Lots of write-ups, lots of time in the front seat.  But when she hit the 4th grade all of that paid off.  She somehow turned into one of the most polite and respectful kids on the entire bus.

So what I’m saying is that student management is a real thing EVERY day.  Not just a one-and-done.  And you need to keep preaching the same message.  Apply the same rules across the board. 

Consistency is king, and you MUST be the constant in the equation.  That’s the only way it works, school year after school year.

Now it’s really easy to let the tough days get you down when battling with some of these kids.  The frustration.  When you think those ever-evolving disciplinary problems might get the best of you.  So very easy to turn into a negative Nelly.  Just stop looking in the mirror and let them go feral.

But then you have something happen;  like what happened today.  When a 7-year-old tells you, as she exits the bus, “Thank you for keeping everyone safe!”  And then she gives you this picture she drew. 

You just look at it and can’t help but smile.  Maybe even get one of those little tears in the corner of your eye that you hope nobody notices. It is amazing how such a tiny act of positive affirmation can resonate with the soul. 

And suddenly all those cold winter mornings, when you’re scraping the bus windows, fumbling with tire chains in a half-foot of snow, feeling your fingers go numb, and swearing under your breath as if a second language, you realize that it’s all worth it.

And that is why I drive a school bus.