I could see it coming, slowly growing with intensity and purpose. That day they were walking down the street, making no movement to indicate they were intending to board my bus at any of the established stops. I assumed they were just playing hooky and didn’t think anything of it until the next day.
That afternoon at the school, they got on my bus and immediately started blaming me for not picking them up! They said” why didn’t you stop for me?” I replied you were not at the bus stop, they said yes I was. I said, no, you were walking down the street a block and a half from the last and the next. They called me a liar saying they were at the bus stop! They were practically crying having had to go home and tell another lie about missing the bus. Their mother had to take them to school and she wasn’t happy about it they said. They blamed me to their mother. This was a mini meltdown and should have been a warning to me about them going for the full Monty a few weeks later.
A couple of days later they were are the store across from a bus stop and when seeing the bus ran into the street with out looking, then seeing the vehicle holding their hand up commanding the vehicle to stop. I had stopped, as they ran across and over to the bus pick up location. They got on the bus and just as they did, pulled the opener on a can of soda. I said stop right there, you may not get on the bus with soda. They said, Do you know how much this costs? I said no, but regardless the cost, you may not bring it on the bus. They said, others have sodas they bring on the bus and drink them. I said maybe so, but the rule is no open sodas on the bus. Finally they turned and threw the soda can towards the sidewalk spraying a kiddo behind them new clean hoodie across the chest. They stomped into the bus. They have an assigned seat in the front because they have been being very abusive to those around them using profane language, a shouting voice, throwing things, eating, spilling on the floor and generally creating a nuisance.
Of course, all their posturing got them nowhere with me except in that assigned seat for an extended period of time. I believe at the school I brought the topic up to the Vice Principal or vice versa. And we chatted about it and the fact that they were in contact with that ones behavior. Maybe I should read this to the school board and say, GT bus rider and this is how it is sometimes. I have chosen not to bring anything else to the school board because it is not my fight anymore. It has taken me an extended period of time to debrief from my frustrations about organizing people who are not interested in becoming a part of.
