Memorable moments on the job

I think it’s safe to say that most people have an experience while doing their job that’s especially memorable, or a time when they realized the effect they were having on other people’s lives as a result of their work.

One experience that sticks out for me in my years working for SBF is when I attended the 2007 National Association for Pupil Transportation Conference and Trade Show. We had copies of our November 2007 issue at our booth at the trade show; in that issue, I’d written a feature on school bus bullying and how operations were approaching the problem.

While sitting at the booth with my co-editor, a gentleman came up with the magazine in his hand and said, “Is Kelly Roher here?” When I greeted him, he said, “I just wanted to stop by and tell you what a great job you did on this article about bullying. When I read it, I thought, ‘This is such an important issue and we all need to be doing more to stop it. There’s some good information in here.’” He then proceeded to ask me if I would mind autographing his copy.

All of us SBF editors have received positive feedback from our readers over the years, which we appreciate. (Of course, we also welcome suggestions for improvement to help us better serve you.)

In thinking about the feedback we’ve gotten and that afternoon in 2007, I became interested to read about your most memorable experience(s) on the job, whether they’re good or bad. Or, was there a time when a student, parent or colleague made you realize the positive impact that your profession has had on him or her?

Share your stories below or send an e-mail to info@schoolbusfleet.com.

Until next time,

Kelly Roher
Managing Editor
Print | posted on Monday, May 09, 2011 11:43 AM

Comments

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Ruth Ann Francis at 5/9/2011 2:13 PM
After driving for 10 years in a rural school district and moving on to become a supervisor I ran into one of the children that spent most of his school years in the ftont seat. At that time he had a little one of his own. He made a comment that really made my day. He said "I am really glad you made me behave while I was on your bus. I think now it has made me a better parent." That was a wonderful comment to make to a bus driver.

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Mr. Courtney L. Hardy at 5/9/2011 6:49 PM
I am Transportation Director for a small rural private school. Being a small school I drive all of the away athletic events, some 100+ miles away. It really makes my day when a parent comes by the bus and says "Man I'm glad to see your driving". "When I see you behind the wheel I dont have any worries". Those few words mean more to me than any amount of pay out there. To know that someone trusts me with the saftey of their child.

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Lynda Trejo at 5/9/2011 8:57 PM
Driving for a school district in the California desert is a challenge in itself due to the intense heat. I sometimes struggle to pull myself out of bed to go to work with my bus that does not cool very well. Being a special-needs driver for more than 31 years I have had my share of "stories," but the ones that really stick out are when one of my autistic students who has never spoken a word suddenly out of the blue and without warning gets onto the bus and looks directly at me and repeats "Good Morning!" Nothing compares......

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Bruce Cram at 5/10/2011 7:31 AM
My most memorable moment was in my first year of driving, back in 1984. I had just gotten out of the Army at Fort Hood, and was needing a job. A friend fom Boy Scouts had me contact the Transportation Director for Belton (TX) ISD.

I started in the late fall, and had just been re-assigned to a new route that was picking up the overflow from another route. One of the young ladies that I picked up was the classic problem child - Cuss, fight, you name it, she probably did it; uspended off the bus as much as she was on. The last few weeks of school she came back from suspension and was assigned to the front seat. After a few days of good behavior, she asked it she could sit with her friends. After much thought I agreed. No more problems till the end of the year. The last day, as she was getting off the bus, she stopped and hugged me and said thank you for caring.

I never saw her after that, but I was told by the other bus driver that when they had sent her to a school counselor, because of all the discipline reports, they found out that her older step-brother had been raping her on a regular basis. When this was reported, life improved for her, hence the behavior improvement.

Things like that are why I am a bus driver today.

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Robbin Pierce at 5/10/2011 9:59 AM
After driving for 20+ years, I've been the transportation director for over 9 years now. One afternoon, a driver made a "sidetrip" to my office so that I could address an unruly group of primary-level students. When I stepped onto the bus, all of the students were sitting in their seats like perfect, little angels, waiting to see what would happen next. I commented on their new-found behavior and asked why they were giving their driver such a hard time, but were so commendably good when I got on - one little girl immediately quipped, "because we're a-scared of you!". It was so hard to hide the smile....

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Becky Nelson at 5/21/2011 2:51 PM
I have been the Transportation Manager for our school district for 17 years and a former bus driver for 9 years. Every afternoon, I am on bus duty at our Kindergarten and Primary campus so I get to see many of the students each day. I carry a hand radio with me to call for the bus runs and to clear the bus run when all the students have boarded the bus. Recently, I was in Walmart and walked past one of the students. He smiled and waved at me and told his mother that I was a very important person because I carried a radio in the bus lane.

 kindergarden play

left by sebastian silvestro at 6/8/2011 9:03 AM
my kindergarden children get on the bus about 10 minutes before the regular kids get on, so, to pass the time i teach them a song that is easy to learn, much to my surprise we were elected the bus of the month and the principal gave us a pizza party, to show our appreciation my kids demostrated the song (THE HOKY POKY) and dance for the principal, the word got around and I started to get great comment from the parents

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Jason Leeth at 6/28/2011 8:10 PM
After 14 years behind the wheel, I am now working for a different company as a driver trainer and safety manager. The district I drove for was in my hometown and I got to know a lot of the parents and children. It was always a compliment when a parent would approach me on a field trip or at the bus stop and tell me they never worried when I was behind the wheel. They would say they always knew their child was safe with me. That always made me feel good.

I remember many years ago, I had a kindergarten student who was living in a foster home on my route. When I pulled up to the house on the first day of school, this little blonde haired girl with pig tails and glasses stepped up on my bus. She was the cutest little thing. Her name was Elizabeth, but she wanted to be called Lizzy. Lizzy's assigned seat was in the front and most of the time she was anywhere but where she was supposed to be. Lizzy could not say my name so she decided she would just call me "School Bus." One day when she got on the bus she looked at me and said "School Bus, can I have a hug?" Well of course my heart melted and I gave her a hug. This became a daily habit when she got on and off the bus. I later learned that Lizzy came from an abusive home.

There have been so many moments, it's hard to remember them all. I'm just glad I became a school bus driver!

 re: Memorable moments on the job

left by Busconcern at 10/27/2011 11:34 AM
I know of a situation where several city bus companies are running their air brakes shoes down to well below legal limit such as 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch thick. They even had at least one major accident while going down a very steep grade and they cammed over on both sided of their single rear axle bus. It turns out it had cammed over prior that day and days earlier and all they did was re-set the cam to high cam. My three questions are: Who could I report them to? How would I go about it? What if anything is there in writing that talks about re-setting an S-Cam after it has flipped or what should be done after a cam-over or is there nothing available because it's a no brainer for someone who actually has concern for other lives and not just saving money. Thank you

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