“Safety First”

Mr. Mucus had a new item and had to tell me about it. “Mr. Brandon my Dad got me a robot hand to pick things up with.” “You can pick up broken glass and other dangerous things with it so you won’t get hurt.” “Right now I’m using it to pick up my underwear so I can smell them and tell if they are dirty or clean.” The sad thing is everyone reading this has sniffed a pair of drawers at one time, maybe this morning. No confessions please.

“Hallelujah Chorus”

As any teacher or bus driver can tell you it is amazing how the presence or absents of just one student can change the whole atmosphere of what is going on. As somewhat of a habit when I come to a house where no one has come out we usually have a countdown of 3…….. 2………. 1……….. before I drive on. And there are usually some words of concern spoken by me or another student like, “I hope they are ok” or “I wonder if they are sick?” As we approach The Authorities house neither he nor his brother (that is like a flea on a hot rock) are waiting for the bus. I must admit my heart skipped a beat. I stop and start the countdown, it was all we could do not to just say 1,2,3 and hit the gas, but we did the usual 3……… 2…….. 1……….. and from one of the students comes an unsolicited cry of, “Blast off for wonderland”. Trying not to show my feeling of a student being gone, because we know we love all students the same, I thought the other students were too young to realize I was humming the Hallelujah Chorus.

“What to Do”

Conversation with a first grader. “Mr. Brandon guess what I don’t have any homework.” My reply, “Well would you like for me to give you some so you will have something to do?” “No that’s alright” she said “I think I’ll just go home eat a bunch of candy and bounce of the walls.” Oh family time.

“Halloween Facts”

On a bus of more than fifty by Halloween you will have heard the phrase “Trick or treat smell my feet” 456 times. The day after Halloween all children come to the bus with a sugar buzz and their pockets and mouths full of candy. Half will have to tell you how much candy they got and the other half will want you to guess how much. There will be one child who does not have enough candy to last the trip to school so they will tell on the others for eating candy on the bus because they won’t share. Finally there will be enough sucker sticks in the floor of the bus to build a small log cabin.