First week

The first week back to school (well, 3 days) went great!

Here are before & after pictures of my nasty bus. Which by the way is 13 years old, 66 passenger, air brakes, flat nose, and drives totally different then my little 12 passenger/2 wheel chair bus I had for 16 years.

This bus was so nasty! The steering wheel was sticky....there was so much dirt and candy wrappers under the brake pedals. The seat belt had sticky crap on it too.

Here it is clean!! It only took me 1 hour to clean this area alone!!! I used SO much Clorox.

This is what it looks like over every window. Writing all over the bus! It's permanent.....I could not get it off!

Here I am afterward sweating my butt off. My clothes were totally soaked all the way. But, the bus is CLEAN!!

My bus run is way more different then I imagined it would be. I am so use to having these sweet children who get on the bus with a huge grin and acknowledge me when I say good morning to them and sit quietly.

The elementary kids are wonderful (well, most of them....I have 3 or 4 that I can see are going to give me trouble). I have this one little boy, Joshua who gives me a hug when he gets on and off the bus. He never says a word...just smiles and hugs me. It makes my heart melt! Day 2 and 3 I had 1 child accidentally get on my bus...day 2 I told the little boy I was going to have to take him back to his school and momma would come get him.....he started bawling....I'm talking BIG tears....Oh my goodness.....I didn't know what to do! He kept saying, "I know where I live" so I said, "Where?" he said, "I live in a brown house with a blue van" awe, that was so sweet but doesn't help me at all!! His grandma was waiting at the school when we arrived. Day 3 I had a little girl get on the bus....at the end of the route I looked at her and said, "why didn't you get off at your stop?" She replied, "I live over there" pointing across the tracks to the school. So I took her back to the school and found out she is a Walker....she literally lives right next door to the school!!! I can't wait to learn faces and names so that doesn't continue to happen.

Middle school route.....well, let's just say the ones who know me are so sweet to me......the others won't acknowledge me At. All. They are fairly quiet in the morning.....but come afternoon and they are excited school is out and ready to be home....they are SO LOUD!!!! They get up and switch seats and ignore me when I tell them to sit down. I think some of them are trying my patience.

I'm getting use to driving a big bus.....my body is so sore from using muscle I haven't used in awhile. Especially my right calf from smashing on the accelerator pedal (pedal slants and you have to push down really hard) my back from turning the huge steering wheel and my neck and arms from holding on to that steering wheel (actually that's probably from stress!) :)
Good thing is I'm not stressed anymore and I have become comfortable with the bus!!

This is the year of "NEW" for me. New bus, new classroom, new speech therapist, new principal, and new kids!

I'm loving working at the school this year!!! Everything is so relaxed and upbeat! I love my new students....they are a hoot! The therapist is awesome....he is going to be fun to work under. The classroom is great and the principal is wonderful....I really like her a lot!

Now, If my body will hurry up and adjust to the 10 hour days it will all be good!! I went to bed Friday and slept for 12 hours!! That is something I never do.

It is going to be an awesome year!