Often the most important lessons you learn are outside of the classroom? And they can double as stories you tell again and again throughout your life.
Today via GenuLines I share one of those with you.
Lesson Learned On A School Bus
It was sort of a side hustle. A job that would back up another job that would fund my college tuition.
I was a 22 year old school bus driver.
Most of my driving consisted of extra curricular activities and outings. One of those involved a field trip for kids from an inner city school in Pittsburgh.
Off we go
This group was like most. Talking, laughing, happy for a break from their stuffy classrooms.
We headed for the park and its wide open spaces. As I wheeled toward the entrance there was an anticipation that was palpable.
Everyone piled out of the vehicle full of happy expectation- with one exception.
The boy
He stayed in his seat, saying nothing and sort of staring into space. I wondered why he wanted to stay inside and miss a chance to enjoy the day with his friends.
I made an attempt to open him up a bit. It didn’t do much good.
He mumbled his responses and I couldn’t make them out. I did convince him to get up and go outside and I was sure he was going to run to catch up with the group.
But he didn’t.
He stood there in the same quiet state that kept him entranced during the ride. I thought the best thing for me to do was go back inside the bus and leave him to his thoughts.
But after a minute or so I heard, and felt, a loud bang on the side of the bus. Then there was another.
Ready, aim..
Outside the bus I saw this boy picking up chunks of dried mud from the parking lot. He was breaking off pieces and throwing them at the bus.
And I mean throwing them with a gusto a major league baseball scout would have admired.
This time I thought it best to get him back to his seat and away from any people who might be in the area. And now I questioned him in a more persistent way.
But his answers didn’t shed any light on why he would target a 72 passenger bus for a shelling. I did manage to keep him engaged in conversation.
And then the talk switched to movies.
Scene and heard
He volunteered that he had recently seen the movie Jaws. As he took me through the scenes of the movie he became more upbeat and animated.
I hadn’t yet seen the movie. But I didn’t mind hearing about the final scene without a spoiler alert.
The rest of the kids came back from their visit and we headed back to the school. I felt glad that I could diffuse the situation.
But I started to wonder what kind of a life this boy might be going back to.
Is he ignored in a dysfunctional house? Do his needs go unmet?
Is he a victim of violence?
Learning curve
Would this experience change the boy’s life? Probably not.
But it taught the driver the importance of listening and caring. And that lesson would never show up on a college syllabus.
JohnK 3-14-2022
Overheard: “Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.” ~Mother Teresa
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