SIMCHA SUSIE MUSINGS

 Today, the paving company that has been tearing up the streets of the condo development we live
 was  finally working on our side of the street. What dirty work!   


Watching the procedure, I was transported  back decades to playing with my son on the floor with his Tonka dump trucks!  I still find it fascinating to watch how the paving machine works. Two people are needed to drive and operate it. The trucks going backwards to line up with the front of the paving machine in order to fill the opening with their load takes precision!


Years ago, in one of  my many work lives I was a professional driver. I drove school buses
throughout the school year and for camp and charters during the summer.


One day, the young punk who was doing dispatching, thought it would be funny to give the older 
lady a ninety-five passenger  stick-shift bus without power steering!  It took a while to get out of the parking lot and continue to the camp route.  I remember trying to make a left turn on a very busy street and not able to  turn on one try!  Before I knew it, the cops were there thinking there was an accident! When I explained the problem, they stopped traffic and helped me back out
in order to complete my turn!

During the school year I was assigned to routes for a K through 5 elementary school, a 6 through 8 middle school and a high school.  The lower grades were not a problem. Nor was the high school. The middle school, on the other hand was the worst. These youngsters, neither babies nor older teens, are feeling their oats!

The day started with delivering the high schoolers to school before  8 am, then getting the middle
graders and then the little kids by 9 am. At lunch time, I was taking the youngest home and taking
the afternoon kindergartners  to school.
I also had to be around in case there was an early dismissal.  In addition there was school charters
for field trips. Drivers were to go in all kinds of weather and were not allowed to cancel trips by ourselves.

I recall teachers asking me what to do  about trips during blizzards. I told them that it was up to them, but that it would take a huge amount of time to get where they wanted to go and that it would likely have to turn around  and leave pretty quickly because it would take a very long time to get back to school in time for afternoon routes!  They would cancel the trip and wait for better weather.

At one afternoon pick up at the middle school, the kids on my route were in such high spirits that no one listened when I told them to sid down before I started the bus.  This was before seat belts in school busses.  I turned off the ignition, waiting for them to calm down. When I told them again  to sit down after an hour, they started to scream and throw stuff around. By that time, I had had it! I started the bus and drove directly to the Glenview, Il. police station. I used the onboard radio to call the station and asked for assistance. A few officers came out and I transferred these kids to the cops. I told them to call their parents to come and get them, that they were a menace, and that it was not safe for me to transport them anywhere!

Needless to say, for the next four years that I worked there, I did not have any further problems with any child or teacher in that school and neither did any driver in that school district!

I have many stories that I can write about, but what I really want is input from YOU- recommendations for restaurants, movies, trips, and other suggestions for things we might enjoy doing together.      CALL or TXT    616-212-3137    OR    EMAIL     sidnsues@gmail.com
   (Simcha Susie Musings)