HIGH SCHOOL
as a bus driver we are somewhat invisible to the narcissist known as the teenager. we are also invisible to most coaches...possibly teenage narcissists who never outgrew that? there are the exceptions to the rule on both counts. these gives me an unique perspective on what goes on at the high school.
take for example yesterday. i watched two young kids, i'm thinking boyfriend/girlfriend, probably about 16-17 at a high school. they stood out in the parking lot in the freezing cold sluffing their last period hiding behind a teacher's car so they wouldn't get caught. why? so they could rub against each other? the funny thing is that me and one other bus driver were right there....did they think that we couldn't rat them out? another thing was this...the girl was beautiful...the boy? not so much. that is also a very common occurance. interesting.
sluffing was the downfall of my high school career...that and a certain boy who should remain nameless. he was my main dumb in high school. there were lots of other dumbs but he would be dumb #1. kids sluff constantly. it's like a revolving door at the high school. sometimes when i'm doing pe runs i am there every 40 minutes dropping off and picking up classes. i'll see the same kid 3-4 times in one day. i want to yell...STAY IN SCHOOL!....do you want to be a bus driver when you grow up?! of course they would look at me like i'm a crazy adult bus driver who doesn't understand their teen angst and that they NEED to get out of the stifling thing that is high school. those poor kids.
high school kids are zombies in the morning. i don't know what they did before they could put music in their ears. by the afternoon they are loud and obnoxious. lucky teachers that have them 1st period.
couples in high school are the funniest to watch. most of them are past the sticking the tongue down each others mouth phase that the jr high kids are in...we'll get to that at another time...high school kids are in the we're married and have to hug and kiss and tell each other how much we love each other between every class. oh and especially after school. they have to walk each other to the bus or car and make sure that everyone knows that they are together. it cracks me up. when was the last time that you took 3 minutes to hug, kiss, fondle and caress your husband before he left for work? i have 3 kids and most of the time my husband leaves for work at 5:30am. he's on his own.;D i do tell him i love him before he goes because i don't want him to ever forget that i do....there are lots of girls who like a man in uniform. especially a good looking one like big d. insecure, yes i know...that goes back to dumb #1.
then there are the kids once they are on the bus. i have been informed that only dorks ride the bus. there are a few exceptions to this rule. also even the dorks have some sort of hierarchy. and all lower income kids ride the bus, cool or not. my teenager is just kind of a spoiled brat surrounded by others of her kind...love you mad. where was i....oh yeah, hierarchy. it is and always has been the cool at the back and the not-so-cool at the front. don't get me wrong, i usually like the kids at the front much more than the kids at the back. they are nicer and quieter and more willing to help out a girl who's lost on a sub bus. here's the kicker though. sometimes the kids at the front of the bus don't care that they are the nerdier kids. case in point...a girl the other day, think gilda radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna on snl. she was a front seater. i felt bad for her. thought oh this poor girl...no-one probably ever pays attention to her or makes her feel good about herself. she probably has no self esteem at all. well then she starts singing, loudly and off key, a song i've never heard before. she may of even made it up herself. i immediately thought, oh honey stop!, the kids in the back are going to have you for dinner. but then i realized...she thinks she sounds good and she doesn't care about what the kids in the back think. she does have self-esteem, probably more than any of them. good for you. she sang until i let her off the bus and then she put a little dance to it and did it until she was in her house. woohoo for you nerd girl!
low income kids are the most polite kids i drive. whether it's high school or elementary school they are the nicest. rich kids are brats...for the most part. there is a certain area in our valley and the kids from there are aw.ful. but the kids who live on the west side of the valley or the farm kids from out west are by far the sweetest kids i drive. they are polite and tell me thank you and they are willing to help and they are not as mean to each other. that's a thinker for you.
well thanks for letting me ramble. i thought about this yesterday as i drove...
only it was in a cheap frame, poorly stitched, the buttons were ugly, and the fabric was bad.
