Browsin’ a story in the papers the other day set me to contemplating anew, some things I’d cogitated on for years. Couple other things subsequently elbowed their way into my consciousness as well.
The story in the paper told of a school bus driver who was supposedly “allegedly” (don’tcha hate that?) drunk as a coot, operating a bus loaded with kids. Least one kid was armed..., with a cell phone. An’ spooked enough to call someone in authority (not the bus driver).
Actually the story didn’t really say the driver was “drunk”?
But the way I figure it, if a person doing that job is gonna take a little nip? What the h**l ...! Might’s well go all the way, right? I mean, at the very least gittin’ caught is surely gonna cost ya yer job!?
Hmm, I was left wonderin’ too, might the job have been reason enough for taking a little nip in the first place? Driving a bunch of rowdy kids around real early every mornin’ would certainly do it for me! I’m not even a ”drinkin’ man” anymore (not so’s you’d notice anyway) but I do have an abiding dislike for morning.
Mere days after reading that little news article I came upon one of those black and yellow juvenile transports. It was ‘long about mid-afternoon, I was driving home from breakfast. The bus was disgorging it’s noisy cargo in ones and twos along a little traveled back woods lane.
There were no passing zones along the way. So, my being a cautious and considerate driver, I politely followed that bus over the next several miles (watchin’ closely for any “erratic” driving).
Couple things along the way did cause me to consider some differences between the young folks exiting that bus, and myself doing the same thing..., all those (short) years ago.
I did note some surprising similarities between the school bus I rode as a boy and the one I followed. Little had changed in the vehicles size or paint scheme from the buses of my day. The warning lights were familiar, as was the placement of the exit door.
The “use” of the door however, diverged greatly from the one recollected from “my” school bus days.
Our school bus driver..., gray-haired (wonder why?) ole Mrs. Martin only yanked that cold metal handle opening the door of our bus a few of times during the entire eight miles the bus traveled from school yard back to her yard (bus garage)! Each time, a horde of us kids would scramble out that side door! Most of us hurrying..., slippin’, slidin’ and screeching! (that last part much like todays kids?).
Ole Mrs. Martin continually urging us on (off?) with her helpful irish brogue (usually elevated in volume). Telling us us to, “Hurry along now, you kids! Yer holdin’ up traffic ya know!!” (Ya ‘spose she mighta been nippin’ too?).
I suspect it wouldn’t be proper for bus drivers to urge the little darlin’s to “hurry along” nowadays, would it? (surely someone would sue).
Another thing I fondly recollected?
Back then the bus stopped only at officially designated (widely scattered) “School Bus Stops”. These designated stops were clearly delineated by a gaggle of students playing games in the street each school morning. All waiting hopefully for the bus to show up.
Theoretically these stops were spaced out so that no student would be required to “walk further than one (1) mile” to get to (or home from) said designated bus stop. No one would ever reveal to a student who measured off these supposed “one mile” distances!
But I noted that today the “one mile” rule has apparently been changed?
School buses these days are evidently allowed (required?) to stop at every residential driveway. This begins from the time they exit the school yard ‘til they’re finally parked for the night (or run out of gas?).
One of the benefits (?) of suspending that old “one mile” walking rule was clearly evident? Many of the young folks exiting the buses today, carry an extra layer of insulating fat.
I suspect this helps keep ‘em warm during the long, arduous trek from their front doors these cold mornings, struggling down their paved driveways to the roadside? Where they meet (or exit) their warm buses?
Another (too frequent) observation truly did set me to wondering!!
Why in the world, would any parent send a 45lb. second-grader off to school toting a backpack large enough for an assault on Mt. McKinley!?!
I Don’t Know About You..., I’m curious, might this be why bus stops have gotten so close together?
Cal Teeple, educated (?) founder of the Observational Cogitation Consortium may be found three stools down. And at: www.wayneindependent.com/cal Or At: calteeple@gmail.com He may be contacted, accosted or ignored in any of the three.
|
|
|
Related Stories
Browsin’ a story in the papers the other day set me to contemplating anew, some things I’d cogitated on for years. Couple other things subsequently elbowed their way into my consciousness as well.
The story in the paper told of a school bus driver who was supposedly “allegedly” (don’tcha hate that?) drunk as a coot, operating a bus loaded with kids. Least one kid was armed..., with a cell phone. An’ spooked enough to call someone in authority (not the bus driver).
Actually the story didn’t really say the driver was “drunk”?
But the way I figure it, if a person doing that job is gonna take a little nip? What the h**l ...! Might’s well go all the way, right? I mean, at the very least gittin’ caught is surely gonna cost ya yer job!?
Hmm, I was left wonderin’ too, might the job have been reason enough for taking a little nip in the first place? Driving a bunch of rowdy kids around real early every mornin’ would certainly do it for me! I’m not even a ”drinkin’ man” anymore (not so’s you’d notice anyway) but I do have an abiding dislike for morning.
Mere days after reading that little news article I came upon one of those black and yellow juvenile transports. It was ‘long about mid-afternoon, I was driving home from breakfast. The bus was disgorging it’s noisy cargo in ones and twos along a little traveled back woods lane.
There were no passing zones along the way. So, my being a cautious and considerate driver, I politely followed that bus over the next several miles (watchin’ closely for any “erratic” driving).
Couple things along the way did cause me to consider some differences between the young folks exiting that bus, and myself doing the same thing..., all those (short) years ago.
I did note some surprising similarities between the school bus I rode as a boy and the one I followed. Little had changed in the vehicles size or paint scheme from the buses of my day. The warning lights were familiar, as was the placement of the exit door.
The “use” of the door however, diverged greatly from the one recollected from “my” school bus days.
Our school bus driver..., gray-haired (wonder why?) ole Mrs. Martin only yanked that cold metal handle opening the door of our bus a few of times during the entire eight miles the bus traveled from school yard back to her yard (bus garage)! Each time, a horde of us kids would scramble out that side door! Most of us hurrying..., slippin’, slidin’ and screeching! (that last part much like todays kids?).
Ole Mrs. Martin continually urging us on (off?) with her helpful irish brogue (usually elevated in volume). Telling us us to, “Hurry along now, you kids! Yer holdin’ up traffic ya know!!” (Ya ‘spose she mighta been nippin’ too?).
I suspect it wouldn’t be proper for bus drivers to urge the little darlin’s to “hurry along” nowadays, would it? (surely someone would sue).
Another thing I fondly recollected?
Back then the bus stopped only at officially designated (widely scattered) “School Bus Stops”. These designated stops were clearly delineated by a gaggle of students playing games in the street each school morning. All waiting hopefully for the bus to show up.
Theoretically these stops were spaced out so that no student would be required to “walk further than one (1) mile” to get to (or home from) said designated bus stop. No one would ever reveal to a student who measured off these supposed “one mile” distances!
But I noted that today the “one mile” rule has apparently been changed?
School buses these days are evidently allowed (required?) to stop at every residential driveway. This begins from the time they exit the school yard ‘til they’re finally parked for the night (or run out of gas?).
One of the benefits (?) of suspending that old “one mile” walking rule was clearly evident? Many of the young folks exiting the buses today, carry an extra layer of insulating fat.
I suspect this helps keep ‘em warm during the long, arduous trek from their front doors these cold mornings, struggling down their paved driveways to the roadside? Where they meet (or exit) their warm buses?
Another (too frequent) observation truly did set me to wondering!!
Why in the world, would any parent send a 45lb. second-grader off to school toting a backpack large enough for an assault on Mt. McKinley!?!
I Don’t Know About You..., I’m curious, might this be why bus stops have gotten so close together?
Cal Teeple, educated (?) founder of the Observational Cogitation Consortium may be found three stools down. And at: www.wayneindependent.com/cal Or At: calteeple@gmail.com He may be contacted, accosted or ignored in any of the three.
