I’m a big believer in lists, and you’d better believe that I’m truly thankful for more than five things. But with respect to your valuable time at Thanksgiving, I found it relevant to share with all what I’m most thankful for about the student transportation industry, in particular.
It was a challenge to keep the list to a minimum, but with the turkey roasting and the table being set, here’s a brief one that begins to count my blessings this year.
- My gorgeous daughter, who was born in May. There’s no way I can’t start the list without her. She has brought us joy and a needed perspective to focus on what truly matters in life … and to try and ignore what doesn’t.
- My industry friends. I don’t see them as often as I’d like, but recently at the NAPT Summit in Richmond, Virginia I was reminded how much they all mean to me. And I’m not just referring to my career chronicling student transportation operations and planning our own conferences. They are family. And, as an extension …
- … STN’s faithful readers, advertisers and conference sponsors. I’d like to think that we deliver innovative and thought-provoking editorial on the website and in the magazine as well as at the TSD Conference and STN EXPO, but we’d be nothing without all of your support. Yes, you help to pay the bills, but more importantly you remind us each and every day that we are undertaking a noble effort, and that’s (we hope) helping to improve operational safety for students one article and one conference session at a time. You inspire us with your dedication to student safety and your everyday success stories. You all are the true stars of this industry, we only record what you do and how you do it. Thank you for your continued loyalty over the years. We will do everything possible to retain your trust in 2016 and beyond.
- NHTSA’s new position advocating 3-point seat belts on school buses. Now, before you burn me in effigy, allow me to explain. I’m not celebrating the fact that many of our readers find themselves at a new level of annoyance over federal tinkering with school bus safety. While I do agree with Administrator Mark Rosekind’s logic that technology and public opinion should foster a new can-do attitude industrywide in respect to adopting seat belts, instead of relying on outdated fears, I’m not thankful for any consternation being felt across the country. Far be it from me to tell student transporters what they can and should do. I know and respect folks in the industry who are most definitely thrilled with NHTSA’s new position and those are most definitely are not. But the announcement at NAPT in Richmond, Virginia this month has at least reopened dialogue among industry professionals and so many new article angles for School Transportation News (and opportunities to share old ones with a new generation of industry professionals). Our staff will be kept plenty busy reporting and planning content for the magazine, website and our conferences. We all improve by understanding history and hearing and reading different perspectives that shed new light on how to solve current challenges. So, in short, I’m thankful for job security!
- And last but certainly not least, my associates at STN Media. A lot goes on behind the scenes of our website and magazine news production as well our conferences (Did I mention that the TSD Conference Super Early Bird Registration deadline is fast approaching?). While Publisher Tony Corpin and I are the reluctant faces of the company, we are only as good as the hard work performed by our reporters and contributors, graphic designers, marketing staff, event planners, circulation specialists and accounts receivable and payable. We are few in numbers but immensely talented and passionate about what we do. This industry brings out the very best in us.
What are you thankful for? Share on our Facebook page or below in our comments section, and may you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
