almost had an accident

I almost had an accident today.  Luckily I was alone and I have good no great brakes on this old bus.  I was heading to my pm grade school pickup, going over some tracks, which we are required to use our four ways, which were on.  I immediately have to turn left at the second corner which has a stop light.  I had made my lane change, with my turn signal on, flashers now off, and as I was crossing the first intersection, **it is known to have accidents so there is a no left turn there** BUT a person in a red sunfire decided to not only disobey the no turn sign BUT turn right in front of me!!  I slammed on my brakes, thanking GOD that the person behind me stopped also.  Now my life did not pass before my eyes but the jerk's life did.  If I would have hit the person they would have been smashed.  It took me a good 5 minutes to calm down afterward, but my elementary kids saw to it that I was back to doing my job, as always, safely and as skillfully as I know how.  Had to they needed me.

 

My angels were working overtime today.  Thank God!

It's true! It's true! I am free I am free for 5 whole days!!!

                                         

Whooppppeee!  I am free for 5 whole days! 

Have an awesome Thanksgiving all!

better week

This week was much better.  The kids must of ran out of Halloween candy because I found a lot less wrappers and they were way less rowdy.  I haven't been signing up for any extra work.  It's time to enjoy the holidays. 

It's been very cold and windy here lately.  Wind gusts of 40 mph, and temps in the 20's.   Makes for a very cold trip in old bus #30.  She's a slow start, but I've learned to wear long johns and bundle up.  Too bad the kids don't get that.  They are still hanging out at the bus stop in hoodies (which I call hooded sweatshirts) worn backward covering their arms only, and not much else.  Although those furry scarves are still in style so a few of the girls have those.  But they are for decorative purposes only.  They love to whine about how cold the bus is.  You just can't teach a junior high kid anything!

My early childhood kids are all getting the sniffles, so Friday I sprayed down my bus...no sense in leaving the evidence at the scene of the crime, especially since one little guy likes to pick his nose and whip it on my seats...luckily my monitor usually catches him in the act.  JOY!

 

Have a great weekend...I only have Monday and Tuesday to work next week, and they are both 5 hour school days!  YiPPPEEE!!!

A long week, again!

It was another long week.  What we really need is a nice hard freeze so all the germy germs that are being passed around can freeze and die.  I woke up AGAIN stuffed up, but I feel fine so that's good, especially for a Saturday day off.  My week started out fine,  the kids were pretty well behaved, BUT they decided to end it with a bang.

This week was the week the all the new routes started.  These are early childhood and alternative school routes which are all door to door pick ups.  Mostly new drivers picked these routes.  I did not bid on them because frankly I am getting somewhere with my groups and I like my work hours.  There were a bunch of new route mess ups but the week seemed to be fine.

I had a few of my early childhood moms that I have on my Midday not understanding what was happening, but my monitor and I are able to communicate (wow what a concept) daily to them so they were reassured.  It's so cute one of the moms was asking us about her son's rash on his face, we were trying to give her some suggestions.  These moms trust us with their little ones so I try hard to do the best I can with their children.

Yesterday afternoon, my grade school kids were really super loud.  Seems the 5th graders had their SEX talk at school and they were discussing it, it wasn't inappropriate just LOUD!  I told them once again, that assigned seats were on the horizon, that they needed to be responsible and keep each other in check.  The thing is 4 of them have safety patrol jobs (remember those little belts in school?) and they are the worst ones on my bus!  One 5th grade boy talked back to me on his way off the bus, we WILL be having a discussion on Monday, I do not tolerate disrespect, ever.  It'll be ok though kids will be kids.  I feel I am part of the teaching process and if I can get this group to be responsible by choice not force I will feel like a success.

Oh yeah, I broke my poor bus again!  My emergency brake is a long handle that I pull down at my stops and when I park.  There is no such thing as PARK on a bus like a car so we have to use this brake every time.  Mine snapped last year and again yesterday.  :::sigh::: poor old 30!

Have a great weekend everyone!

my poor old bus

Poor old bus 30 is really starting to feel her years.  My bus is a 1995 International.  At our district usually buses last 10 years and they are traded in.  Mine has 142,000 miles on it.  It burps, it belches, it hesitates, but it still goes.  Today the emergency brake light stayed on after I released the brake.  Hmmm....hopefully the old girl will make it through the winter.  We have great mechanics so I am sure it will!

My two naughty girls come back from vacation.  It's been a relatively peaceful week, so hopefully the break gave them a new attitude.  One can hope right?

Our district has enough buses now to take the Early childhood routes back.  My parents during my midday were all confused.  They didn't understand that I will still have them during the midday they will just have a different driver taking them to school or if they go in the PM bringing them home.  Just wait and see how confused they will be in 2 weeks when we have two 5 hour days...they will really have a time then!  I don't blame them, these are young mothers trusting us with their preschool kids in a huge yellow bus.  But my monitor and I do all we can to reassure them.  We have teenagers, we know real fear, these mothers have so much to look forward to! ;)

Oh yeah this morning when I was stopped with my stop arm out all my lights flashing, while picking up my junior high kids a car actually went around my bus to pass me!  This is both illegal and very dangerous!  I didn't get the tag number but I saw it was from California.  That person better hope I never see that car again, because I am watching for it!  AND reporting them! 

I am off to go back to work!

 

a day off

Today is a no school day!  So cool that it's on a Friday too.  A long weekend!

This week I made it through the Halloween too much candy haze.  On Halloween when I picked up the Elementary kids after school they were all sugared out and in a daze.  So the trip was not so bad.

There are some new routes being posted, all special service, but I  finally got my 2 pm groups settled in.  So I am going to keep my routes, and not bid on the new ones.  They start early in the morning and I wouldn't be able to take Liz to school.  Besides my kids are used to me and I actually am getting attached to them also.

I feel like I have accomplished something with these kids, they are rough group and most days they act pretty well.  I am quite proud of them and myself.

Have a great weekend!  I am going to!