Thursday, June 21, 2012

Bullying - Unacceptable!!!

Recently there have been several news articles about the bullied bus monitor Karen Klein. I am in shock that this was even allowed to go on in the first place, let alone be placed on youtube by the students who bullied her. The youtube video is about 10 minutes long and very hard to watch.

Bullying is unacceptable! When did we decide that bullying would be an acceptable practice? People are questioning what will happen to the kids who bullied. The answer is, very likely, nothing but a stern warning, and maybe a loss of bus privilege. No apologies, no teaching our kids that bullying is wrong and needs to stop.

Unfortunately, the bully issue is not just restricted to certain areas. Kids bully each other and adults. Where do they learn their behavior? From the ADULTS around them. Bullying has become one of those things we have become desensitized to unless it is an extreme case, and then the punishment for the bully isn't as detrimental as the consequence of the bullied student.

Bullied students are more likely to develop depression, become suicidal, and suffer far worse lasting effects from the bullying then the one doing the act. When will it STOP!

Slamming the Brakes,

The Bus Driver

Whirlwind!

What a busy month! The last 3 weeks of school are always the most hectic for bus drivers. There are field trips galore because teachers are done teaching, the test has been taken and/or passed, and the kids have mentally "checked out" of school. The result is loads of field trips to the bowling alley, movies, parks, and any other random place teachers can come up with.

It is a recipe for unique experiences. Getting lost, traveling down random dirt roads, and seeing Air Force One. The latter happened on a field trip to a television station in a nearby city. The president happened to be visiting the area to sign a bill for the GI's and we happened to be near the airfield where the president flew in and out. We deliberately made a detour after the tour of the television station and watching the coverage live. We passed by the field where they actually had Air Force One in all its glory.

After a short period of time at the local mall, the group was on the way back to the bus when we saw Marine One flying overhead back to Air Force One. I maneuvered the bus back over to the field and we actually got to watch Air Force One taking off. It was an amazing and unique experience that I will never forget.

Three weeks later, I found myself on my own mini road trip. I drove up and down the east coast, visited loads of folks, got lost (this seems to be a theme with me) and followed my GPS through some of the craziest back roads I've ever seen.



When the road sign does that ^^^^ they mean it!!! I couldn't help but laugh. It was unbelievable. I made it back home though and have memories to last a lifetime!

Driving Crazy,

The Bus Driver