By: Brenda Wilkerson
Ugh, the first Captain’s Log entry I am reluctant to share…
So, I nudged a mailbox in cul-de-sac #7 this morning. A cul-de-sac I have bus-danced in for 7 months! I let myself get distracted from total focus. I thought I knew this turn like the back of my hand. But…I hit it. A slow reverse nudge strong enough to knock it over with the loud crash of tumbling bricks that couldn’t resist the brute strength of Ol’ Yeller. A nudge that got the kids totally excited. In a matter of nanoseconds, my reputation crumbled like those mailbox bricks going from ‘Rock Star’ to ‘Crazy bus driver lady that almost killed us all.’
Some kids were terrified, some cheered, and several could not wait to tell every single additional rider about the Great Event. I kept cool as the questions pelted me all the way to the school. Are you going to tell someone? How are you going to fix the mailbox? How will they get their mail today? Can I go look at the back of the bus for damage?
Upon arrival at the school and waiting for two buses ahead of us to unload, I talked to my kids through the intercom. I told them that everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has a decision to make about how to clean up after an accident. I told them I had three choices: 1. DENY or pretend it didn’t happen; 2. BLAME the rowdy kids; 3. ADMIT the mistake quickly, apologize, own it, and get to the steps of a solution quickly. By a show of fingers 1, 2, or 3, the kids voted. Honestly, it did not matter what a bus full of elementary kids thought, as hard as it was, it was up to me to Lead. By. Example. With one last sentence to the kids, I said firmly, “Oh, and I’m going to tell Mrs. ‘Assistant Principal’ FIRST before you can tattle on this ol’ girl.” I dashed the hopes and dreams of a few who desperately wanted to rat on the crazy bus driver as soon as they took their last step off my bus. Nope, took that juicy piece of gossip right away from them. Once the excited kids unloaded, I had to follow through with the steps of reporting an incident. I had to radio it in on channel 2, and everyone in the transportation shop could hear. I was told to call Mr. Bus Transportation. When I finally got through and introduced myself, I heard, “Oh, is this *Crash*?!” . . .
Lord, help us learn from the many hard life lessons we face and struggle through each and every day. Teach us to act quickly, fess up, admit guilt and responsibility, apologize, and work patiently to fix any damage – physical or relational – in our lives. Help us stay laser-focused on what you have put us in charge of (kids, job, students, family, neighbors, friends, church family, etc.). “I need thee, oh I need thee, every hour I need thee!!!….” #hymn 428
P.S. – This mailbox has now been replaced 3 times by the school system. Mr. Transportation knew exactly where this happened, and how much it would cost to replace it, and proceeded to ask if I knew how to lay bricks. Ooof!
By: Brenda Wilkerson
December 6, 2024
