Freaky Friday

So, when I was trained to do my morning routes, I was taught to leave out the back gate.  This morning, there was a monitor at the back gate, where the smoker’s area is, and I looked at his list of buses that were supposed to go out that way.  Mine wasn’t on there, and apparently, I’m supposed to go out the front gate.  Traffic sux out there, and so I was a little late…getting to the usual railroad crossing.

I don’t usually see a train there, but I stop, open the door and the driver’s window, with my flashers on, and look both ways and take off.  Today, there was a nine mile long train going across the road, and I had to wait.  Now I’m several minutes late for my first stop, and will be for my next two too.

Heh, whaddya gonna do?

I made my next two stops and filled my bus with Elementary kids.  Their school is a left turn away, just up the block, but I saw something in my student mirror and got on the PA to say something about it… and drove past my turn.

"Oh shit!  I missed our turn!  I said outloud.  (oops) In case I didn’t realise it, there was a chorus of kid’s voices telling me I missed my turn.  Yeah yeah, I know.  I took the next left where there was room to do a three point turn around and set back on my course – and damn near drove past my turn AGAIN.  The chorus from the kids rose in volumn.

I got to the school, the LAST bus behind the other empty buses waiting, in my way, and I had to wait while they inched forward and I could scrape by.  (two layers of paint between me and the bus ahead of me too)

I got to the stop and let the kids off and pulled out of the school and into the church lot down the street to layover for my high school run.  At the turn onto Johnson Road, I saw #57, the bus usually ahead of me turn onto Johnson so I got right behind her and followed her up the street to my first high school stop, ending up right behind her at her stop (different schools), and a ways away from my usual stopping point.

The High School kids walked down to my bus, and I watched them get on and get seated and prepared to turn off my red flashing lights and get underway. Just as the doors were closing, a girl came running up to the bus and stuck her arm in the closing doors, and I hastily reopened them.  Yesterday, a school bus driver in Portland did much the same thing, but he dragged that girl for a block before he realised what he’d done. I din’t want to be on the news too, and while it was close, I caught myself in time and the girl got on board with no problem.

I got to the high school and pulled into the bus loading area, which was blocked by three parent’s cars.  They are not supposed to be there, EVER, and as I honked and waited, one of the mothers got out of her van and shut it off and walked around to the other side.   Grrrr.

I finally got into position, with another student chorus behind me, and got the High school kids off. Usually, I layover there for another 15 minutes, then begin my Middle school run, but today I pulled right out and drove over to where my Middle school route begin and pulled over to have a smoke and kill ten minutes.

Got most of those kids on, no problem, but one of them had a skateboard, which is not allowed on the bus.  Rather than leave him behind, I stashed the board by my seat, upside down, and delivered my kids to the Middle school, getting on the PA to reinforce the knowledge that it’s district policy that no skatboards ever come on the bus.  That was a big part of yesterday’s all hands meeting, but rather than strand the kid, I took him and his board onboard and made a speech about it.

It’s the nice weather, you see.  It brings out the idiots and the "oh, I didn’t know that!" kind of people.  Five more minutes and I gotta go back to work, and drive home my kindergarteners.

It’s been a freaky Friday so far, so I’m oh so curious to see what the rest of my day is like.  Got a big smile on my face so far, so it isn’t a BAD day, yet, but ya know, I just want it to go by with no more problems – it’s Friday.

*****