The Wheels On the Bus

It has been a while since my last post. Since then, I have been hired as a school bus driver. The wheels on the bus go round and round… and all that.😂

So I have to be up at 4:00 A.M. The routes I’m driving begin at around 5:50 and I finish up around 8:30. Then the afternoon route begins at between 2:45 – 3:00 P.M. It finishes up around 5:00. At least it does when the bus driver really knows the route.

I drove the afternoon route, my very first route for the first time on this past Friday. I don’t know the routes all that well yet. So, I finished up around 5:45. Only a little bit late.

There is this one little kid, about 5 years old, and his name is Walker. When I was just riding the bus as a monitor or helper (a person who rides the bus to keep the kids in line so the driver can concentrate), Walker had to sit with me because he is pretty fidgety. During the days he sat with me we got to know each other a little.

So as I was driving the route, with the actual bus driver acting as the monitor, and Walker seated beside her, I missed a house where I was supposed to stop. Walker blurts out, “Awe, You don’t know how to drive the bus!” Every one laughed. Then I responded, “man, I thought Walker was my friend, and now he’s making fun of me.” To my surprise, he was embarrassed by the fact that he might have hurt my feelings. I assured him that I was okay.

The little kids are great. However, the middle school kids who are also on the bus are a little more sneaky and much less well behaved. They are mouthy and sometimes disrespectful. No doubt they will be a challenge.

They are way worse the little kids. They don’t stay in their seats. They throw things back and forth, and the scream back and forth at each other as if they are outside. They are so loud.

Last, I pick up and deliver the high school kids. They are a breeze? They are extremely well behaved, quiet, and helpful. They will let the driver know if a stop is unnecessary if the kid who lives at a certain address is not on the bus. This was a surprise to me. It was the high school kids whom I expected to be wild and out of control. They turned out to be the easy group. I can’t imagine the middle school kids growing into what I see in the high school kids. That would be a miracle.

So, I’ve been busy. I haven’t worked in 7 years and find it a little difficult to get used to it again. Up before dawn, and then that long break during the day and then back at it in the afternoon. I don’t dare take a nap during that time in the middle. I don’t trust myself to wake up and go back to work. So I find things to keep me busy during that time.

When the day is finished, so am I. When I go to bed all I can think about are the wheels on the bus going round and round. So, that’s where I’ve been. And it involves getting plenty of exercise; a good bit of walking during the day. Just being out of the house is helping me toward staying on track with my desire eating habit. Since I’m not at home all day I’m not snacking all day. And that is a good thing.

Well, that’s it. Until next time.