OMG... this morning was defiantly a “blog” day! My morning started out GREAT! I woke up before the alarm, I had breakfast with my daughter then got into the shower. When I got out to the shower my phone was ringing...me” hello” work “ are you coming in today?” me “ yes...but it is late start.” work , “ no it isn’t.. how soon can you get here!”
You see like many families we sitting down at the beginning of every month and we pull out our calendars. Everyone reads off to me what we have going on and I consolidate it to one calendar and post on the fridge. Well in the process of doing this I forgot to mention to my family that the district may have a late start for students but the staff & bus drivers have to still go in at regular time! That is why I was late for my own route today. But that is just the beginning! here is how the rest went.
So I got to work an hour later than I usually do and they hand me a Route Sheet ( this is what our wonderful office staff puts together for sub drivers) this Route sheet has all the info on it about the one route...like regular driver, stop times, school, etc. This is one reason I am not a sub driver anymore...I hate not knowing where I am going and trying to read a paper while driving plus student management.. ugh!
Ok back to the story....So they give me the sheet and I realize this is a “special needs” route. which means small bus that will have 10 or less students. No biggie right? well these buses are hard to see out of because that are built like a van that just crashed through a box! Well I shook it off since if was my fault for being late right? ..lol! I start the route and head to the first of 5 apartment complexes that are on the route sheet. I pull in and look at the building that I am suppose to be picking up 2 students. The building is being remodeled! Nobody can live here and all I see are men caring building materials. I look around and ask a few other adults and nobody knows anything... great this is starting off perfect! so I continue to the next stop hoping for better luck when “base calls” ...” are you near John’s stop?” I respond “ I don’t even have that name on my sheet”...base “ you are right. well they live at “blah blah” “ I think to myself, ( do I have a pen and paper ready to write this down? or am I just suppose to memorize that while I am driving around this apartment complex maze? ) My response “ I am looking for this address and I there is no name for the child on the sheet. Plus I am supposed to turn Left at a unNamed road?” Now remember this is all being said on our radios for the WHOLE district to hear! At that time, another driver pulled up and told me who & where I should be going...while the person at base is giving me more direction from their end...Geeze! I had to have the other driver tell the car behind me to back up so I could turn around and go where I supposed to go. I continue to the next apartment complex that was next to the one I was already in... did I mention Apartment Maze??? ok just checking. I pick up 2 students their and they direct me back to the other Apt complex to pick up the one I missed. I finally go out of this maze and proceeded to cross the street into the next Apt maze. this is the one that “base” instructed me to go to that wasn't even on my sheet. I pull up and there is other special need bus already there picking up. I think great? they are picking up my student... sure enough! I had a parent walk a student over to me and I ask them if their student was going to my school for drop off. They said “no” and yelled at the other parent that just put her student on the wrong bus...lol! So we did an instant switch and proceeded to our next stop. Well I tried to...when reading the sheet it says ( and I quote) T/A ( turn around) Unnamed RD then L/ Fern st and R/ Unnamed Rd. ..this is were I just laughed , because I am what they call a seasoned driver. meaning I have been driving for this district for 10 yrs! With that experience I could figure out where I was supposed to go from the rest of the information. But what if I was a completely new person to the area and to bus driving? LMAO!!!
I just shoot my head and kept driving. At this moment base informs me that I don't’ meed to stop at the next stop or the last one...thank goodness since I am already 5 mins late to the next one! I then pull into my 4th apt complex and look for building I. I circle around looking for it.....I see all the other buildings like H, J, k, L, N, Q but no I! WTH?! So I circle around again... at this point one of the kids says, “ did you turn the wrong way again?” LOL..I say “ nope, but this is a good time to sing “ the wheels on the bus go round and round” and they broke into song! I never did find the building or the student.. I guess their parents took them after calling base and them informing the parent that I was a “sub” . I was now off to my last stop and yet another apt complex with HUGE speed bumps! I told the students on the bus to “lift your feet and make a wish every time we go over a speed bump” ..those students are going to have a Very, very , very lucky day!
The good news is that they made it to school only 5 mins late and safe!
I was remind today that I have got into my own personal “bus driver box” where I only drive my route and am in my comfort zone. I now realize by doing so, I miss out on these adventurous days of not knowing where I am going, who am I picking up and what can happened on a bus route!
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