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| My school is a two-building campus. I wish the picture showed what it looks like when all the buses and cars are lined up for arrival or dismissal. |
I Hate Bus Duty
I work in one of the larger elementary schools in the state of Michigan. We have approximately 1200 students grades KG through 6th. Most of the students ride the bus. Bus duty at my school is one of the most dreaded parts of our day. It consumes between 20 to 30 minutes of our day, several times per month. I have the pleasure of morning bus duty. I stand outside and cross students as they are dropped off by parents, between buses that are also dropping off children, to the front entrance of the school. I greet parents and kids with smiles and "Good morning!" or "Have a good day!" It took a few weeks, but now all the parents and most of the kids smile back with some sort of greeting. I know which kids are reluctant to leave their parents in the morning and need extra attention. I know which kids are runners and tend to bolt if I'm not holding their hand. I know which parents want me to cross their kids and which parents prefer to walk their own kids into the school. I can tell what kind of morning students have had before they ever set foot into the building. As much as I hate bus duty, and I really hate it, I have to admit that it has given me a unique insight into the lives of many of my students.
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Yes, I am sure it does give you insight. We have "inside" hall duty and this year, once again, RECESS DUTY. While part of me hates standing outside on the playground encouraging kids to play nicely, it REALLY gives me a better picture of who they are!
ReplyDeleteA busy place I am sure. The duties of an educator can have so many tedious parts. I'm glad you have been able to find some positives in bus duty, I can imagine that some days are better than others. :)
ReplyDeleteBus duty at the end of the day is also a challenge when certain families always seem to end up on the streets with the railroad crossing at the wrong time, or all the red lights or the heavy traffic . . . or there's the college student sister who overslept and did not come to pick up her siblings at the appointed time . . . But it's also a great time to say hello to kids you haven't seen in awhile because they've moved on to other grades. To see siblings interact. Busy Duty . . . ripe subject for a post.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting that things we don't like, provide us insights in ways we don't expect. That kind of reflective access comes through being open to seeing beyond the action. It comes from the place of being a writer. Thank you for reminding me of this.
ReplyDeleteI totally hear ya. But the job is so important. What a blessing for those kids to have someone REALLY notice them every morning. Thanks for doing your important morning work!
ReplyDeleteI will never complain about my hallway duty again!!
ReplyDeleteWe have "regular" aides in some buildings who take care of this so that the kids can grab breakfast and check in with their teachers to get their days rolling. What happens to your class while you are doing this? Aren't students still arriving as the first bell rings in the morning. Some of our buildings do have after-school bus duty for about 20 minutes. During the times that I had bus duty, I found the exact same things you mention here to be true... and I often found it scary...there were always parents who would encourage their kids to jog across driveways and streets to come to them, instead of walking a few extra steps to guarantee safety. I always considered it my job to walk with the child and to celebrate a safe crossing to mom/dad. You do see a different side of things when on bus duty.
ReplyDeleteSometimes those little, unstructured moments are the best ways to see what kids are really like and where they're coming from! I'm sure bus duty can be a hassle, but it's also a chance to brighten each kid's day!
ReplyDeleteI got stuck at the beginning of your paragraph when you mentioned how big your school is - five times the size of the one I work in. Our school would probably fit into your parking lot. Bus duty in the morning is done by the playground aide. Bus duty at the end of the day is the responsibility of each teacher getting their students to the doorway of one of three buses there to pick them up.
ReplyDeleteBus duty is a pain in the neck, but I loved the way you found the value in personally connecting with so many students and their parents early in the day!
ReplyDeleteI am a literacy coach like you are. We don't have any buses, but I do have lunch duty every day, with the middle schoolers. Even though I don't always love it, like you, I have gained so many insights into kids and their families. Duties like these are definitely ways of building relationships with kids.
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