Written by: LaCota Domine - DPS Bus Shop Driver
Being a Dickinson Public School bus driver is one of the greatest privileges. It is an honor knowing that we as drivers get to be your child's first and last smile of their school day. These last few years have ushered in many changes. One is the addition of the Dickinson Middle School and several new bus routes.
There have also been changes with Covid-19 that brought in new ways of loading, unloading, and traveling with your children. I am incredibly impressed with the teamwork that the school bus drivers, Harlow's School Bus Service, and Dickinson Public Schools have done to keep things efficient and safe.
I am grateful to be a part of this incredible team. I think it is accurate to say that I speak for all of us drivers when I say, "We love your kids like our own." Every driver has a desire to protect and transfer your children as though we were traveling with our own children. I am thankful for the opportunities to travel with sports, field trips, and my daily route. It has led to some fun memories and adventures.
Safety is always first place, and our day starts with an early morning pre-trip, even on days when we are in the bitterly cold winds. Why would we do it, or how do we handle it? That is simple, we love what we do, and we love the kids who will be loading that bus. We get up early for those trips and those daily routes because your kids are the first thought on our hearts. When you love what you do, you overlook the hard work you have to do.
I know that everyone on the team at the bus barn; from activity drivers, daily route drivers, and subs, can all agree; we love what we do, therefore, cold fingers, noses, and toes, two feet of snow or zero below, we do not notice how hard the weather can be. Resilience is a word that comes to mind when I think of all of us drivers. We welcome each child with smiles and get to know them each by name. We miss them when we are on vacation or when they are absent. We discover if they wiggle a lot or do they like to read? Do they need to sit up front, in the back, or in-between? We create a safe space for them to ride, congratulate positive behaviors, and wrangle in any negative situations.
We as drivers do it all while driving a big yellow (or white) bus with only a rear-view mirror to keep everything running efficiently and on time. I believe I speak for all the drivers when I say it's always worth it because your children are worth it! We love what we do!