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EDITORIAL DESK Sometimes you need to take a moment and realize life is better than some around you are


making it out to be, especially when it comes to the current economic landscape. Now I am not saying that the economy has pulled a 180 and suddenly everyone is on easy street. Tere are school budgets being continuously cut around the country, class sizes will continue to increase at some districts next year and schools are wary of running out and buying a fleet of brand new buses. But, it could be worse. Most of you out there have probably dealt with some difficult financial times, whether you’re a


It’s All in How You See It


By Stephane Babcock


bus driver making an hourly wage or a business trying to make ends meet in the next fiscal year. And there are some definite downsides to not having money. I have four kids and live in Southern California, so I know a few things about stretching the almighty dollar. But, as my wife constantly reminds, it isn’t so bad. Te most important perks in life are free. Whether it’s making your kids laugh during a car ride, bringing a smile to your significant other with a nice compliment or getting a “thank you” card from one of your students at the end of the school year for faring them back and forth to school each day, it is those simple moments that can give you the most pleasure. It is your job to find those moments and give yourself the time to not only enjoy them, but realize


that life is full of them. Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not Mr. Sunshine every day, as I’m sure my wife will attest to, but even on the worst days, those simple moments can change everything. So use this summer to fill the days with simple moments for yourself and others. Like, for example, bus drivers on summer-school duty. I’m sure there are a number of you out there that can share stories of grumpy, overly-tired stu-


dents dragging themselves onto the bus for another day of summer school. I’m sure the air is thick with dread, especially on particularly sunny days when their friends are probably enjoying the time off at the beach, at an area amusement park or just relaxing at home without the stress and sched- ules of school days. On those days take a minute to bring a smile to their faces. It can be something as simple as a “good morning” and a smile, or a reassurance that the day will be over before they know it. Although they might not show it — especially with high school kids — they will appreci- ate it.


❝ Te most important perks in life are free. Whether it’s making your


kids laugh during a car ride, bringing a smile to your significant oth- er with a nice compliment or getting a “thank you” card from one of your students at the end of the school year for faring them back and forth to school each day, it is those simple moments that can give you the most pleasure. ❞


Tis is where the connections that people make to the simple benefits to the yellow bus begin.


I have talked to numerous people outside of our industry that always tell me they remember their bus drivers. It is a very common response whenever I tell people what I do for a living. Tere are times when the stories turn humorous and even a little frightening — as it did recently when a friend of my wife’s approached her about a bus driver who supposedly called her autistic son a “maggot” (we’ll save that for another column) — but many of the stories are tales of everyday superheroes whose powers kept them safe and happy on the rides to and from school. Sometimes those drivers inspire others to follow in their footsteps, as I have also heard from a number of in- dustry people from the district level to the state level. So, the next time you see a grumpy face on the school bus, an employee who looks down in the


dumps or someone who has lost a little spring in their step, give them a friendly reminder that life is full of wonderful moments that can outshine the worst ones. ■


82 School Transportation News Magazine July 2011


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