46 Years Behind the Wheel!!!

Not many drivers have been around long enough to see the 2-way radios installed  in school buses, but  Joyce Bernard has. With 46 years of school bus service under her belt she has witnessed a lot and can attest to the improvement of school bus safety. Bernard started driving to be closer to her children and when she found out the job was not a part time-commitment she dove right in and has been dedicated since.

Most students’ first morning experience is the bus ride. That means that the first person they see is a school bus driver. Drivers can make that first day special and add a little “umff” to a child’s step just by giving them a warm and reassuring first greeting! A bond between a driver and a student can be one of the stronger relationships they have during their elementary school years, since the driver is one potential constant during the entire time spanned.

Pictured above is  Joyce Bernard.
Bernard says that she felt like her students didn’t really care about her; she was wrong. When she hit black ice in one of her earlier years and got into an accident the company was downsizing the area they needed covered and Bernard asked if she could cover a route closer to home. She discovered that the students were going to the school board because they thought she was being punished for the accident. Bernard commented that the children she drove were amazing .
We encourage drivers to treat the students with a “kind and caring” attitude at all times to ensure that both the student riders and the drivers stay on good terms and able to easily approach one another if something were to happen.
Thank You,

Haleigh

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