by Susan Bennett

Created on: April 18, 2010

Drivers Beware – The Comedy of Driving a School Bus

My family driving history is a tad less than stellar, I'll have to admit. My dad backed out of the garage with the back doors open, taking a piece of the siding with it. But hey, he and my mom were on their way to Florida for the winter and time was of the essence. He'd fix the siding in the spring. Mom hit a moving train. This did no damage to the train, but my grandfather wasn't too happy. She was probably talking to her friends and wasn't really paying attention to the train. It happens. My sister backed her car into the dining room of our family home. Well, there wasn't a lot of room between the house and the car in the driveway that sat next to it. But hey, she did her best. I myself drove my jeep through the bottom panel of my garage door. It wasn't really my fault though. My young daughter had the remote in her hand and accidentally hit the clicker, setting the door in the downward motion at the same time I was in the backing-out motion. This is normal family behavior, isn't it? And though these little mishaps took place, it never occurred to me that driving a school bus just might incur similar experiences.

Driving a bus wasn't my dream career, but I have great respect for school bus drivers – especially now that I've experienced the 54 screaming kids on any given day. It was more my “in the meantime” job, and for the four years I drove I actually enjoyed it. Sure it's noisy, between the kids and the engine sitting right next to me, but sitting up that high gives you a wonderful view of the road. And as much as people hate getting behind school buses, it's actually pretty fun when you are the one behind the wheel and have the power of people behind you, praying for your turning and getting out of their way.

There are many stories to tell in the four years of driving. Some stories were from fellow drivers, some were my own. Some of these stories are pretty funny, some tested the driver's patience, and some were just down-right funny. Let's take Jack for example. It was June just before school let out for the summer. It was hot. The windows were open, and so were the two vents on the roof. This not only leads to a little relief from the heat, but also allows bees to find their way in relatively easily. Jack was sweeping the bus when a bee flew in and buzzed all around him. He took the broom and started swatting; probably not a good idea for more reasons than one. The door was

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