{"id":6852,"date":"2017-07-17T08:28:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T12:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=6852"},"modified":"2017-07-23T15:00:11","modified_gmt":"2017-07-23T19:00:11","slug":"vbcps-seeks-bus-drivers-upcoming-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/vbcps-seeks-bus-drivers-upcoming-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"VBCPS seeks bus drivers for upcoming school year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Approximately 650 Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) buses are on the road each school day, transporting thousands of students to and from school.<\/p>\n

In order to greet all students at bus stops on the first day of school, the division needs bus drivers to join its transportation team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have training classes weekly this time of year in order to ensure we have enough drivers to cover routes,\u201d said Cris Sprouse, an area transportation supervisor. \u201cWe also hire drivers, assistants and substitutes all year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After submitting the online employment application available on the division\u2019s website<\/a>, individuals are contacted by transportation services staff to attend required school bus training, which includes both classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction. Applicants who successfully complete the training and secure a Virginia commercial driver\u2019s license are considered for hiring.<\/p>\n

Flexible hours, full benefits and free weekends are some reasons school bus driving appeals to a wide-range of people, according to Sprouse. He said retirees, college students, single parents and part-time workers have found it to be the perfect job. A better question, Sprouse said, is \u201cWho wouldn\u2019t like it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Meredith Lawler had never even considered it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought of bus driving before. Never,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lawler was working in management and sales when she became a single mother of two children under the age of 3. Day care costs consumed most of her paycheck so she began looking into other career options last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was shopping around for a job that really fit what was going on in my life and was having no success because the cost of day care. I had to offset that and<\/em> make money on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone suggested school bus driving because drivers can bring their children, ages 1 and older, on the bus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really know how that would work for me. I love it. I absolutely love it,\u201d said Lawler.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was actually an easier transition than I thought it would be,\u201d Lawler added, \u201cand I like the fact that you get to help students or brighten their day when maybe they were having a rough day. That\u2019s rewarding. It\u2019s instant gratification. It\u2019s actually the best job I\u2019ve ever had. There\u2019s really no stress about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

No stress? What about driving around dozens of students and navigating a bus through traffic and neighborhood streets?<\/p>\n

Lawler followed a few simple rules to manage it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day, just stop the bus just for a minute, introduce yourself, let them know these are the rules, and then be consistent on that,\u201d she advised. \u201cI say within about two weeks, they get it. You may have to occasionally to tell a student to sit down or you may have an issue every now and then, but it\u2019s actually manageable\u2026Really, it just has to do with how you set the tone from the beginning. I talk to them like an adult, in a respectful manner, and they respond well to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driving the bus is also easier than people think, said Lawler. Her compact SUV was the biggest vehicle she had driven before getting behind the wheel of a school bus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was more comfortable than you would assume it to be. I actually prefer driving my bus over my car; the visibility is great,\u201d she said laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an adjustment learning the mirrors,\u201d Lawler continued, \u201cbut once you get the mirrors down, it\u2019s really easy. It really is. For people who are intimidated by the bus, they shouldn\u2019t be. If you can drive a car, you can drive a bus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sprouse and his fellow transportation services supervisors hope other job seekers will see the opportunity in school bus driving as Lawler has found and will apply to join their team.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a lot of people, it\u2019s just the day care piece alone. Some people work for insurance because their families need benefits. Retirees find themselves bored and need something to do. They can work a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon. They can still do their vacations and travel when they\u2019re off because it\u2019s so flexible. They like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

School bus drivers also like another aspect of the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students,\u201d said Sprouse. \u201cWithin one week they are calling them \u2018my kids.\u2019 Just like a classroom teacher, they become yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawler agreed and said her own children, ages 1 and 3, also were close to her bus riders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter made really good friends on the bus. She would get really upset when they would go to school and she couldn\u2019t go with them,\u201d Lawler said. \u201cAnd the students actually respond well to both of them and feel connected to them. I actually think the students respond better to me when I have to discipline them because they look at it as a motherly thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being a mother and finding work-life balance is what led Lawler to bus driving and it has been life-changing, in addition to providing her with more take-home pay than when she was working in management.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would get home [from my previous job] and I would be so exhausted because the job drained me. With this, I\u2019m not drained and my kids are with me. I know that they\u2019re taken care of,\u201d said Lawler.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get my weekends and I get holidays. I\u2019ve never had a holiday off in management, especially working in sales. You get the day of Thanksgiving and Christmas. So I get to spend holidays with them and I get to be that active parent where I\u2019ve never had that ability before.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also appreciates her new colleagues as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou meet so many different people from so many different backgrounds. We all pretty much agree that this is a really good job. I know people see it and make the assumptions of everything they\u2019ve seen through media sources, but if they actually talk to bus drivers, they\u2019d find out that we\u2019re just working people like they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Individuals who are interested in more information about becoming a VBCPS bus driver should call 757-263-1545 (extension 1) or email\u00a0cris.sprouse@vbschools.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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