A school bus driver south of Montreal made headlines this week for banning his students from reading on the bus, arguing that it is too dangerous. Interestingly, the school board agreed with the driver, saying that because a bus makes frequent and sometimes sudden stops, “Any object, be it a book, a toy or electronic device can be a potential danger when a young child … gets up to go and get it while the bus is in motion,” the school board said in a statement.
A teenager’s prank on the school bus lead to a stop from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) last week. The CHP reported that a 911 caller reported seeing a school bus with a sign that read “Help Us” on the back window. Two units located the bus, which was traveling westbound on State Route 120, and stopped it in order to assess the welfare of the student riders, whom were heading to Lathrop, California to a track meet. The driver told the CHP that the students had put the sign up as a prank earlier in the trip, and that he had instructed them to take it down. While they did as they were told, the sign later went back up. A spokesperson for the students’ school said the responsible student was disciplined.
Jason Dixie, a school bus driver from Fort Wayne, Indiana made the cover of Parade magazine earlier this month for the annual “What People Earn” issue. Dixie had been trying to make the issue for about four years without luck. In those years, he had listed his occupation as “entertainer,” as he travels doing stand-up comedy every summer. But this year, his wife suggested he list his (almost) full-time occupation instead: school bus driver. The magazine’s editorial assistants corresponded with him and told him he was being considered, then strongly considered and ultimately accepted. “I’m on the front page? What a blessing,” he said.
The 10 Commandments for Pupil Transportation”, written by Louk Markham, a school bus driver and author.
I. Thou shall not drive a bus without a current and appropriate CDL and endorsements as required.
II. Thou shall conduct proper pre-trip, between trip, and post-trip inspections each day to ensure the safety of myself, my passengers and the other motorists with which I share the road.
III. Thou shall not allow strangers on thy bus.
IV. Thou shall prevent accidents from happening.
V. Thou shall not use the mechanics’ names in vain.
VI. Thou shall not covet thy co-worker’s students.
VII. Thou shall not covet thy co-worker’s bus.
VIII. Thou shall honor thy supervisor, students, and parents. While we may not always agree with them, we must be respectful of the diversity of the individuals with which we are required to work each day. They give us our daily bread.
IX. Thou shall treat others as one would like others to treat oneself (refer to VIII above)
X. Thou shall remember to keep work days for work and non-work days for family. While our gainful employment is important to our careers and to pay our bills, our family will be with us for a lifetime. As in precision driving, balance is important.
