by Cheryl Scheinin

Created on: January 05, 2011

There are a lot of responsibilities in being a school bus driver these days. You have to constantly be on the look out every moment that you are driving children to school. Between the crazy drivers who don’t follow the rules of the road or the children who don’t even follow the bus rules either; it makes the driver more apt for getting into accidents while driving. It’s like you have to watch what is going on inside the bus between the children and then watching the road for the lunatics who cut you off because they are too busy to get some where or talking on their cell phones and texting at the same time!

It’s a lot of responsibility driving a school bus today. New York State also has so many rules and regulations for the driver as well. Qualifications are very strict these days whether you are driving the big bus or the small mini van that transports children to school and also the field trips after school hours. It’s not about making a paycheck either. You have to be able to handle stress, have a lot of patience, and also a deep passionate heart for children.

Even the children in today’s world, don’t even know what the words love, honor, respect, and trust means. Sometimes I wonder if the parents and teachers realize what is happening on the bus these days when we are doing our jobs. Of course, I am one of those “Yellow” Big Bus drivers who really take the time to love them as my own children. Sometimes I feel that I am a second mother to these children. I drive elementary, junior and senior high school students all day long.

It’s hard when you are dealing with the junior and senior high school students because you have some children who play the character roles as the bullies, most popular kid, or whatever their ego decides to play on the bus. Let me tell you one simple story I had that happened to me last year. There were 10 senior high school students that were very rough and seemed to bother the other children on the bus when taking them home. These boys always sat in the back of the bus when I took them home. As I was driving them home, these 10 bullies came out of their seats and started to use their bully techniques and profanity standing behind me as I was driving them home. What would you have done when they are behind your seat as you were driving?

Well I decided to call my dispatcher on the radio. I told the dispatcher to have the principal in front of the school in ten minutes. He

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