I drove a school bus for several years back in the early '80s in a rural, mountainous county in Virginia and I can honestly say I never dropped a kid off in the wrong place! Oh yeah ... I drove the handicapped bus and all the kids were in wheelchairs and their parents met the bus each day, so that may have helped.
I also drove for several years post corporate job, a few in the "short bus" and the rest were gen-ed. The only kids dropped off wrong were the ones who got off at the wrong stop on purpose.
Yep, you made me google the Purina Tower bldg, and it's good to see the orange nazi on the ugly bldg, but I also got a chuckle out of the school district's name on the bus...fun toon and blog.
Great toon and blog. When I read the explanation the school district gave, I was like “Say What?!” A bunch of gobble-de-goop that made no sense. Easter🐣 that nobody has mentioned so far is that “still no name white bird that is either a sea gull or a pigeon” [C’mon Peezeheads! Let’s name the poor fowl, and decide if it likes the ocean breezes or garbage on city sidewalks?! My hubby refers to pigeons as “flying rats”. But we already have a beloved Rat.]
When I turned up the music for the drawing video I expected to hear 🎶 “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round 🎵.” Sigh, that is what years will preschooler’s will do to your brain cells.
I've never driven a school bus, but I have a friend who does and has for years. When we get together for our monthly dinners, we hear some good stories about his adventures with kids and driving.
Like every demographic, there are school bus drivers who are like beloved aunties, uncles & grandparents. Some of them are heroes in crises.
Then there are school bus drivers that make you think of Otto from the Simpsons cartoon tv show. My child experienced a couple of those too. Made me wonder what the school district transportation department hiring process was the day those Otto-types got hired. Thankfully my child usually had the friendly, kindly ones. The Otto-types were usually gone before the week was out because of complaints by parents and guardians.
With the shortage of labor happening right now, districts might have to consider paying better wages, providing better health benefits packages as well as coordinating with municipal public transportation authorities. Maybe have the older students in middle and high school use public transportation while younger students and those with disabilities get transported with the traditional school buses. Of course that would mean the feds, states & local municipalities actually taking into consideration how they fund public transportation to provide adequate routes as well as policing because regardless of your mode of transportation, there are cray-crays of all ages and demographics on both public transportation and school buses.
However, given the stranglehold the auto and oil industry has on school busing and public transportation well as the structural racism of school busing in the USA, I see this issue getting worse before it gets better. Clay, this issue is not just a Fredericksburg issue. It's happening across urban and rural areas. Sigh.
I drove a school bus for several years back in the early '80s in a rural, mountainous county in Virginia and I can honestly say I never dropped a kid off in the wrong place! Oh yeah ... I drove the handicapped bus and all the kids were in wheelchairs and their parents met the bus each day, so that may have helped.
I also drove for several years post corporate job, a few in the "short bus" and the rest were gen-ed. The only kids dropped off wrong were the ones who got off at the wrong stop on purpose.
😂😂😂💖
Yep, you made me google the Purina Tower bldg, and it's good to see the orange nazi on the ugly bldg, but I also got a chuckle out of the school district's name on the bus...fun toon and blog.
Great toon and blog. When I read the explanation the school district gave, I was like “Say What?!” A bunch of gobble-de-goop that made no sense. Easter🐣 that nobody has mentioned so far is that “still no name white bird that is either a sea gull or a pigeon” [C’mon Peezeheads! Let’s name the poor fowl, and decide if it likes the ocean breezes or garbage on city sidewalks?! My hubby refers to pigeons as “flying rats”. But we already have a beloved Rat.]
When I turned up the music for the drawing video I expected to hear 🎶 “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round 🎵.” Sigh, that is what years will preschooler’s will do to your brain cells.
I always think of the bird as a seagull.
Yay!! So do I 💖. I’m going to just start referring to it as a sea gull …. Tee-hee
I've never driven a school bus, but I have a friend who does and has for years. When we get together for our monthly dinners, we hear some good stories about his adventures with kids and driving.
I'd give you my stories about bus drivers, but you wouldn't believe them. Besides, they're too raw for this wimpy century.
Ditto - so I won't regale you with the high schooler who got stuck trying to climb out the window on the last day.
Like every demographic, there are school bus drivers who are like beloved aunties, uncles & grandparents. Some of them are heroes in crises.
Then there are school bus drivers that make you think of Otto from the Simpsons cartoon tv show. My child experienced a couple of those too. Made me wonder what the school district transportation department hiring process was the day those Otto-types got hired. Thankfully my child usually had the friendly, kindly ones. The Otto-types were usually gone before the week was out because of complaints by parents and guardians.
With the shortage of labor happening right now, districts might have to consider paying better wages, providing better health benefits packages as well as coordinating with municipal public transportation authorities. Maybe have the older students in middle and high school use public transportation while younger students and those with disabilities get transported with the traditional school buses. Of course that would mean the feds, states & local municipalities actually taking into consideration how they fund public transportation to provide adequate routes as well as policing because regardless of your mode of transportation, there are cray-crays of all ages and demographics on both public transportation and school buses.
However, given the stranglehold the auto and oil industry has on school busing and public transportation well as the structural racism of school busing in the USA, I see this issue getting worse before it gets better. Clay, this issue is not just a Fredericksburg issue. It's happening across urban and rural areas. Sigh.