Alternative Girl Gets Suspended

I intended to write this and post this earlier in the week, but my schedule dictated otherwise. Alternative Girl began to ride the bus again this week. So far she had only been riding the bus in the mornings, and when I check in with the Alternative School in the afternoons, I’ve been told I had no students to pick up. She rode Monday morning with a brief confrontation getting on the bus. She pushed and elbowed another student in order to get on the bus first. I stopped her and told her that pushing and elbowing is inappropriate. (Later the boy she “pushed and elbowed” told me that he tripped, but I seriously doubt this was the case, it looked like she pushed and elbowed him out of the way.)

Monday afternoon, I dealt with her cousin (WhinyGirl) who rides my bus regularly. She has a bad attitude and a whiny voice that grates on nerves like nails on a chalkboard. She constantly talks back to me when I give a directive. I had enough of her insubordination so I finally told her if she didn’t follow the directive I gave she was getting a write-up, she retorted with “I don’t care.” I told her that she earned another write-up, wash, rinse, and repeat. Finally I just shut up because I didn’t want to have to deal with her being a twit head.

Tuesday morning AlternativeGirl got on the bus and had a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas. She asked me why I hadn’t been picking her up in the afternoons and I explained how it worked and that she needed to notify the Alternative Administrator in order for me to come over there and pick her up. I’m usually one of the last buses going through the Alternative School in the afternoons as it is on my second run and I get there about 3:35-3:40 pm. She agreed and then asked me to come pick her up that afternoon. I agreed and in my mind was going to tell the Alt. Admin on duty about my trouble with her and her threats to me as detailed in my Pre-Christmas break blog.

WhinyGirl pipes up with “Miss. Bus Driver? My momma gonna talk to you at 4 when you drop me off today cuz you said I got 3 write-ups.” I think, “Oh great, I can tell her mom what has been happening with both WhinyGirl and AlternativeGirl.”

Tuesday afternoon, I go to pick AlternativeGirl up from the Alt. School and motion for the Alt. Admin on duty to come to the bus. I explained my problems with AlternativeGirl and AlternativeGirl flew off the handle. Like totally flew the coop! She started shouting about how I’m lying on her and how she didn’t do what I said she did. (This is where I find out the boy tripped.) The Alt. Admin redirects AlternativeGirl to sit down and be quiet and she flies off at him and starts saying that she’ll just get off the bus and walk home instead. Inside, I’m thinking, “YES!!! Get off the bus so I don’t have to deal with your –insert cuss words- all the way home!!” Finally, Alt. Admin had enough of her bad attitude and talking back and told her in short order to, “Get off the bus!”

Later, I pull up to WhinyGirl’s stop and her mother is there waiting on me. WhinyGirl’s mother cops a bit of an attitude with me at first, but her demeanor changes drastically when I explain her daughter’s behavior as well as AlternativeGirl’s behavior and threats. While I’m explaining, WhinyGirl interjects with her usual, “But it WASN’T meeeeeeeeeee.” plea to the general world and anyone who will listen. I then explain that the behavior WhinyGirl just showed is exactly the behavior that I’m dealing with on the bus in not following directives and doing what she’s told on the bus. The mother informs me that she will have a talk with both girls that evening. I thanked her and notified her that I hadn’t turned in any write-ups yet because I wanted to speak with her first and try to let her handle it at home before I take further action through the school. I have done this with other students in the past and it has worked out very well, they usually come back and behave better on the bus.

Wednesday morning marked a significant drop in the temperature here, so WhinyGirl’s mom asked if AlternativeGirl could ride that morning, as it was too cold to walk. I said absolutely. I’m not about to leave any child out in the cold, even if they have an attitude the size of Texas. That afternoon, I receive a note in my mailbox notifying me that AlternativeGirl has been suspended from the bus for 3 days starting Thursday and ending on Tuesday. She can ride the bus again next Wednesday. This was due to her atrocious behavior towards the Alt. Admin on Tuesday afternoon. I didn’t pick her up on Wednesday afternoon and was preparing myself for a fight with the mother on Thursday morning as I had told the mother that I wouldn’t turn in any write-ups just yet, but that AlternativeGirl still got suspended from the bus. WhinyGirl gets on the bus Thursday morning and whines to me about me getting her cousin suspended. I stopped WhinyGirl in her tracks and told her that it wasn’t my decision in the first place and that she had the altercation with Alt. Admin and THAT was the reason she was suspended.

Blessedly, Friday was a normal day. Next week, I train the new person on my route and I go back to bouncing from bus to bus. It should make for some interesting stories for sure!!!

Counting The Days,

The Bus Driver