Each year, as with many professions, certain days or weeks are designated as times to show appreciation for the hard work being performed. National School Counselor appreciation was the week of February 2-6. The time for School Bus Driver appreciation seems to be less definitive as research shows it as either February 22, April 28, the week of February 9-13, or one of several other dates. Regardless of the date, each staff member is an integral part of a classroom (and school) community.
Our school counselor, regardless of the school in which I was working, was often an angel in disguise. They were also ready to assist. If a student was having a hard day, the counselor would come to see how to help. If I was having a challenging situation, the counselor would come to see how to help. If a family member needed guidance or outside resource assistance, the counselor would meet with them to see how to help. Even when I knew situations had to get them down, the counselor always came with a calm demeanor and air of confidence it would be all right, we’ll figure it out together.
School bus drivers are often forgotten. Not because they aren’t important to a school community, but because they are not seen on a regular basis. The bus pulls up, unloads or loads students, and are then on their way due to the number of routes they need to run and the need to get students to school or home. Unless one had bus duty, it is possible to go weeks or even the whole year not talking to a bus driver, especially if one works at a lower income school that doesn’t take field trips. But a bus driver can make or break your day.
How so you might ask? Think about their daily duties. They must get up before the crack of dawn to leave for work regardless of the weather. When they arrive, often they need to warm up the bus and do safety checks. Then, regardless of the weather, they must begin their route watching for drivers who have no regard for speed limits, road conditions, or the flashing lights of the bus warning children are present. Along with this, they sometimes must wait for kids running to catch the bus, families who may have a grievance or mad because the bus starts to leave when the family is running late. All the while, with everything regarding road safety, they also must ensure order and safety of the students on the bus, who, based on experience as a student, teacher, parent, and administrator, can sometimes be rambunctious or upset with another student on the bus. This doesn’t take into account the unexpected when dealing with any vehicle or group of humans.
If the bus driver, being human themselves, is having a hard or bad day for any reason, their responses and actions on the bus can affect the attitude of students on the bus. This attitude can unintendedly be brought into the classroom. Thus, affecting your classroom environment from the start (which is when the school counselor may then be needed in extreme cases).
Everyone who interacts with students at school affects the student and the whole school. It is often said if the principal sneezes the whole school catches a cold. This is why we must take care of everyone who is part of the school community—students, teachers, paraprofessionals, clerk, secretary, cafeteria staff, and the many others who help a school be its best.
Although I believe we should appreciate everyone every day in some way, it does help to have special days of appreciation. They help us to remember that those often behind the scenes, they too are important in maintaining caring classrooms and caring schools.
As classroom teachers and principals, let’s make sure our students also recognize their importance. A stack of thank you cards, large card signed by everyone in the class or school, or a small token of appreciation, such as a small box of chocolate, invitation to talk to your class about their job, or just a handshake or fist bump to let them know you see them, can go a long way.
In what ways might you show appreciation to the school counselor or bus driver?