Elementary School Bus Ride - Journey to the Future.

       I have this penchant for trying to understand my personal history as a lens on the future.  What is actually to happen that is in front of me is really not to be known by a mere mortal such as myself.  I do suspect given a natural lifespan that the trajectory of my life at age 61 is essentially and relentlessly downhill.  In a non-Narcissistic manner, that outcome is categorically not true for me on one level.  In large measure, I have taken on a concern for the future of humankind, the people I will leave behind, when it is time for my life to end.  My purpose is to see into a future for my children, my society, and the world at large by staying present, and I might add calm.  If not adding anything to the mix, at least brokering for my part a healthy resolution to live in peace with a regard for justice and opportunity for all (especially the children).

     This past Tuesday morning in the already sweltering heat as driver on an elementary school bus, my lifetime of trying to benefit from life's lessons would mean that I gratefully was agile and fluent and compassionate, but also dutiful.  Due to a seemingly minor incident, my employer (the bus contractor) in the aftermath of this incident would want a discipline report and would want it turned into him as soon as possible (ASAP)!  On  this particular Tuesday morning after the incident on the school route, I shared my concerns with a school's assistant principal.  Due to a parent's upset, the report of the incident reached my employer (and the school's district transportation department) before I would make out any incident report (and honestly had even considered not doing a report).  As events further unfolded, it turned out that the time I had taken to understand what had happened on my bus that Tuesday morning was important, not just to that upset parent either, but to all of us involved with this public school (and society at large I believe). 

     After a whole day of reflection about Tuesday morning's incident, I finally did write up a student for precipitating racial enmity by loudly and bombastically calling out the child of another racially identifiable group for calling her girl friend "that brown girl."  This girl was pronouncing the speaker of this phrase a rascist!  Several other African-American students joined in taunting the child who had spoken the phrase.  The child's older brother had also verbally escalated in defense of his little brother from being called a rascist but he was under control (an admirable trait). 

      The descriptive phrase was used first by a kindergarten age brother who did not know the girl's name ("a brown girl").  At the time I'd pulled my bus over, the best I could do was ask the students to visit with a principal when we reached school.  As a result of my proposition and my calm, I believe things did settle down.   At school, I asked the students not to take bad feelings about others into the school and to stay on the bus to visit with the principal if they had thoughts of taking any animosity into their school day.  Three students were asked to stay behind to have a word with the principal.

     I did not accuse the girl of anything when I wrote her up for deportment.  I merely described her conduct.  I had offered her words of encouragement before writing her up that she could have behaved differently in not exploiting the phrase and tinging her antipathy for the younger boy with charges of rascism.   I do not believe the girl I wrote up would even know what the phrase "race baiting" would mean.  I just know that the school these children attend is a peace site and dedicated to helping children live in a diverse school community.

     By Friday,  the concern for living in peace seemed to have a new foothold as the week ended with an afternoon school bus trip home the third last day of the school year with the children's spirits higher than kites, as it were, because the school year was ending in just two more class days. 

     The event of  that Tuesday morning was a distant memory  for most of the children the next week as I drove them home from school the last day of the school year.  The sun shown brightly and a breeze blew comfortably through the bus windows.  I felt elated that I had stood my ground through the school year.  This last day was a day of tranquility for my children and we celebrated it with hugs, handshakes, toots on the horn, and waves goodbye for the summer.  On the radio I heard another driver report one of his students had tossed a coke bottle and hit the windshield of a passing car.  I said a prayer of gratitude that my last day driving this school year was not touched with a similar act of indifference and disrespect.  Hopefully, I had had something to do with ending well a fine school year driving bus for the children.

American Indian Magnate Pow Wow

Last night I was a guest of the American Indian Magnate School (Mounds Park Elementary) and its End of School Year Pow Wow - evening session. The highlight of the evening is that the school principal, Brenda Peltier, was honored and celebrated for her service to the school community. Unforeseen was that two blue heron would fly over the opening prayer and ceremony at the zenith of the sky. Brenda's Indian name is Blue Heron Woman. The regalia of Indian dancers was absolutely stunning and the Indian drummers into their art form as well. I took pictures and clapped and shared in the community spirit. Two teachers walked over to me at one point and offered me a tee shirt for having come out to celebrate with them. I wore it with pride the rest of the evening. I was bus driver this year to this school and its companion World Cultures Magnate. The children are well cared for in this village. The Lakota language specialist Thomas Draskovic worked especially hard coordinating the event. The evening was charmed and charming. It was a blessing to me to be included as a spectator.