So you wanna know something about who I am???
Okay...here goes!!
I haven't updated this page in a while so I finally decided to update it a bit today.
I have been living in Florida since the Summer or 1999 I was Gen Manager of a Bus Co. my first year here and also went to work part-time for H&R Block. After my first year with Block I was offered a position as an office manager so I left busing and worked full time for Block during the Tax Season. When the seasonal offices closed in April I moved to the district office for a couple days a week and I also Teach the Basic Income Tax Class that is a requirement to work for us. I don't think most people realize how much information you have to cram into your brain to prepare taxes, but it is a very extensive course! 66 classroom hours and about twice as many homework hours! (Just ask some of my students!)
I was living in Western Pennsylvania with my 14 year old Daughter. I was a Driver/Trainer for a very large School Bus Contractor in that area. I had 4 runs a day there, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. The High School and Middle School there start at 7:30am and the Elementary School starts at 9:00am. So we take the older kids to school and then go back and pick up the younger kids and take them to school. Then in the afternoons we do it all in reverse.
I have had a license to drive a School Bus since I was 21. My first driving job was for a Church Day Care/PrivateSchool in Dallas, Texas. I only drove kids on Field Trips there though, no daily runs. I also drove the Ladies groups at times to retreats and things that I was attending also.
My next Job was in a Suburb of Dallas, Grand Prairie ISD. I drove a variety of buses there ranging from Lift Buses(for wheelchairs), to big buses, to small Vans. It's kinda hard to say which is my favorite though. Obviously in a Wheelchair Bus you don't have to worry about the kids getting out of their seats while the Bus is moving, but you do have to worry about a kid maybe having a seizure or other problem on the bus.
One Summer I worked at the DFW Airport shuttling Delta Employees from the parking lot to the terminal building and during Peak Flight times would shuttle Passengers from the Tarmac to the Terminal. That was a real trip because you had to watch out for so many different things, Jets, Luggage carts, Catering Trucks, etc. But I really did enjoy it.
From there I moved to New Orleans(Military Hubby). While there I drove a City Bus. That was a real change from driving a School Bus. You had to remember what things are not legal to transport on a passenger Bus, such as, Car Batteries(but how's he gonna get it home to put in his car???), inebriated passengers(get real people, this is New Orleans!!),and things like that. I learned to handle things quite well though and got along great with all my regular riders. I also spent a couple of weeks driving a tour Bus there and found out a lot about the History of New Orleans. But when Hurricane Andrew came through and my Hubby was ordered to Evacuate, I was never called back to do any more tours. (Illegal I know but that's life).
When my Husband retired from the Navy we moved to Smalltown, Kansas(not the real name). Driving a School Bus in such a small place was a real change for me. We had from pre-schoolers to Seniors in HS all on the same bus. The three Schools were all side by side in town So we just went down the road stopping in front of each school dropping the kids off. Most of the routes were on dirt roads too so when it rained you had to be careful of getting stuck in the mud. Once I had to back my Bus a little over a half mile to avoid getting stuck alongside a Schwann's Truck that was already stuck. Another time I had to line up about 16 4 and 5 year olds and march them through 6inch deep mud because I was stuck in the mud.