Bus Drivers: Delivering Our Most Precious Treasures

We never know what a child's morning has been like.

"Have a great day sweetheart! I love you!" a parent calls out as their little one leaves their side to climb on the school bus headed to a great day at school.

In another driveway stands a child who has not talked to an adult all morning having woken up, woken up siblings, and gotten to the bus stop without help from a parent or guardian.

In both cases, whether the child has been loved on by a parent before getting on the bus or has not talked to an adult all morning, each child knows that they are about to encounter someone who loves them. They are about to be warmed by a smile and receive a friendly good morning from an adult they can count on to be consistently present and consistently caring. They know the love of their bus driver awaits as they climb the steps toward that smiling face.

School bus drivers are the very first school staff member encountered each morning for most of the students in our school system. Their smile and warm greeting prepare our students for a great day.  Their job is demanding and requires constant attention to what is happening outside of the bus on the roadways and to what is happening inside the bus among the students.

School bus drivers are depended upon to transport a community's greatest treasure every single school day from their homes to school and back. They climb onto their buses before most of their neighbors have awoken to warm-up the buses and begin their routes. Rain, snow, sleet, fog, thunder, lightning, and the other opportunities mother nature provides to test the skills of every driver on the road are amplified when a school bus driver has to negotiate the same challenges with a bus full of children depending on them for a safe journey.

Our elementary students boarding the buses.

In our school system, we are blessed to have an amazing cadre of skilled and caring drivers. Forty-five buses are on the road each morning and afternoon logging 2,300 miles a day. Each day, each bus is driven by a rock star. They accept the challenges presented on the roads and sometimes presented on the bus, and ensure that everyone of our students arrive safely. I am proud of their commitment to safety and their commitment to loving the students on their bus.

This week we celebrated our Bus Drivers. Each school shared goodie bags and meals with the drivers. They took the time to share a well-deserved thank you for our drivers. As I had the opportunity to join the celebrations, I marveled again and again at just how blessed we are to work with our drivers. Many also hold other positions in our school system. They leave their buses in the lot and enter the school to serve as instructional assistants or child nutrition workers or custodians. Their commitment to our students and schools seem to know no boundaries.    

Ms. Darlene Tynch

One afternoon this week, I joined the driver of Bus #129, Ms. Darlene Tynch, to serve as her co-pilot for the trip. I stood just off of the bus as the students exited the elementary schools with their teachers. I watched as 39 students hugged their teachers good-bye and then saw their eyes twinkle as they greeted Ms. Tynch. She carefully checked their names off of her daily sheet as they arrived.

I listened as she asked one little fellow if he remembered that he was going to his great-grandmother's house today. She knew where every child was going and which stop they were getting off at. This may not seem impressive, but I became more and more impressed by it as I talked with the students during the bus ride.

One young lady shared with me that she rides three different buses each week. One bus takes her to Art Lessons on Mondays, a second bus takes her to Dance Lessons on Tuesdays, and the third takes her to her babysitter's house the other three days of the week. One child, three buses and yet, Ms. Tynch knew where she was supposed to be going and ensured that she safely got there.

I asked the children about their bus driver. Their eyes sparkled as they couldn't help but smile as they told me that they loved Ms. Tynch. As we rode along the route, I saw a lady purposefully step through her front door so that she could wave hello to Ms. Tynch as the bus went by. She did not have any children or grandchildren on the bus, but she wanted to say hello to her neighborhood bus driver. Another gentleman stood up from where he was bent over a tractor he was repairing to shout out a hearty hello to the bus driver and students as the bus went by. 

It was clear that this community knew and loved their bus driver whether or not they had children in school. Again, I felt blessed by Ms. Tynch and her colleagues that they would give their time and energy in service to our children and our community.

One of our bus drivers performs her pre-trip inspection in the snow.

Our bus drivers safely drive 420,000 miles a year. They do so in all weather conditions. They do so for every parent who places their most precious possession in their care. They do so for every student who climbs the steps and smiles at them as they head back to a seat.