Bus Drivers...the New Super Heroes

Bus parked in front of Winn Dixie. Photo credit to one of my fellow teachers.

We teachers can sometimes get on our soapbox and start complaining about things that bug us once the school year gets in full swing (too many unnecessary meetings, time consuming lesson plans, disrespectful students, out of touch policymakers, etc.) But let's take a moment and give a shout out to those fearless people who have a much harder job than we do...school bus drivers. I'm not even kidding; these people DO NOT get paid enough to deal with the stresses they must endure. When I have bus duty in the afternoons and watch those buses drive away, I think to myself, "God Bless their hearts."

Now you may be thinking, "But don't they just work a few hours a day?" Yes. But they deal with situations in those few hours that could be used in Navy Seal training. Imagine hurling down the road with 50 or so hormonal, immature adolescents (I'm talking from a middle school teacher's perspective here). You have to obey the safety rules of the road, AND be able to glance up and make sure the little angels behind you haven't organized a mutiny. Some parents may think, "My child would NEVER be disrespectful." You may be right; I'm talking about OTHER parents' kids.  There have been instances where students cuss out a bus driver, throw objects across the bus, get in fights with other kids on the bus, and even (GASP!) partake in illegal activities. Are bus drivers sometimes grumpy? Yes...but seriously can you blame them?

I truly love teaching (including the highs and lows) but trust me, I try not to turn my back to them very often. These are great kids, but they are just that...kids. Even if they have officially hit the status of teenager, they are still kids. Many of them do not think about the consequences of their words or actions. How do I know? I was one of them once! I myself could make some rather poor choices with my behavior while I was in middle and high school. I survived, but because of my own adolescence I can relate to these little angels.  

However, I may only have 30 students at the most in a stationary classroom to supervise. Throw in another 20 or so and imagine going the road about 45-50 miles per hour, and you've got a possibility for a dangerous situation. This is why I state again, bus drivers do not get paid enough for what they are entrusted with...the lives of students. Really that's what they are expected to do, navigate the highways and safely transport the future of our nation to and from school. This is why a desperate school board has been driven (no pun intended) to advertise in a Winn Dixie parking lot for bus drivers. There is a shortage of these road warriors, and the ones who are veterans of the profession should be heralded as superheroes. Trust me this group of individuals protects lives without the help of Thor's hammer, Captain America's shield, or Iron Man's cool gadgets.