A little girl tweaked my heart this afternoon. I only had two kids from the Comm school, sisters, about five and four. The bus was quiet as I waited for a teacher to board the bus with their punch card.
The older girl made eye contact with me in the mirror and said Jim, why did you leave me that day? Gulp… I suddenly realized that she was the one that completely missed the bus a couple of months ago. A new teacher was responsible for getting her on the bus before my absolute latest pullout time, and she failed to do so.
I told the girl that I really didn’t leave her that day, because I didn’t know she was riding. She said Oh, OK! This has obviously been bothering her and that’s all she needed to hear. She was smiling as we left the school.
If you’re reading this dispatch Sally, yep, this is the one where the angry teacher called. She understands now that this is public transportation, not the schools private bus :-)
I don’t think we have had any issues since. Teachers learn fast…LOL
Children know how to get your heart.
The first couple of times the teacher boarded the bus since that day, she was brisk and didn’t make eye contact. She has since mellowed out and gets how it works now, and is actually kind of friendly.
I also realize that the child was a bit traumatized by watching the teachers reaction. I’m really glad I could make it right today, with just a few words!
Life is a continual learning adventure…
You do such an excellent job with those kids. Thanks for being so great and making my job easier.
My pleasure :-)