June 29, 2012
About That School Bus Monitor
I'm really sorry that poor old lady was harassed by those thuggish children. And I am glad they are being punished, and she is $600,000+ the better thanks to a helpful website.
Now that the pleasantries are out of they way, let's discuss her position, her job functions, and her capacity to fulfill those functions.
Most school districts spend the money to place monitors only on special needs buses. The idea being, obviously, that special needs children require a lot of attention on a plethora of issues, from autism to blindness. You need a monitor because the driver obviously cannot handle these functions. What happens, however, is that districts hire these sweet little old ladies, who are ill-equipped to handle the job.
Why? Because the pay is beyond abysmal, and these are the only folks they can often get. And they don't do it for the money. They do it for the medical benefits, because hubby is often at home stricken with pleurisy or a series of debilitating pin strokes. Sad stuff.
I have no idea if this was a special needs bus, or if that district puts monitors on every bus. I do know what the function of a monitor is: maintain order.
Now let us put our emotions aside, and get at the nut of the matter: this old lady was hired to maintain order on a bus, so that the students did not attack each other, or the driver, or cause an accident. She was woefully ill-equipped to do that. And yet she was drawing a paycheck, and benefits, paid for by the taxpayers of that district. And she was worse than ineffectual: she was a dangerously blubbering idiot herself, and as an object of taunting by the students she was actually diminishing the driver's abilities. Now the driver has to worry about the old lady as well as the students.
Good intentions, gone awry? Perhaps. Or yet another example of rancid public sector make-work. I feel sorry for that old lady. But I don't want to pay for her make-believe job that actually increases the danger on that bus. Society is better off with her scrubbing shit swirls out of the toilets at Sam's Club. Although she won't be scoring any sweet $600,000 windfalls there.
I hate to be brutally honest, but why the fuck was that old hen drawing a paycheck on the taxpayers' dime in the first place? She might be wonderful nurturing a deaf six-year-old, but that's not what she was being paid to do. And the transportation director who placed her on that bus with those hoods should be fired as an incompetent ass, as well.
Here's an experiment: I reckon I could get the young thuggees across the street to slap me around while I'm walking my cat on a leash, and call me Forrest Gump and Slingblade and fag. I would cower dutifully, take my pummeling, then post my video. Some fool will start me a website, make me $600,000, and I will gladly pay the thuggees a grand a pop for their troubles.
That's how the viral world works, apparently. And how the public sector works. It's a piss-poor world, people.
Glad you said that because that was actually my first thought when I saw the video. Heck, back when I was young enough to be riding a school bus there were a few kids who caused trouble. We didn't have a monitor, but we DID have a bus driver who didn't take any shit. He was sufficiently intimidating that he didn't get any backlash from either the perpetrators or their parents. Those kids had to find alternative transportation for a month if they were stupid enough to test the bus driver. Their parents weren't happy having to cart them around themselves. End of problem.
Posted by: PeggyU at June 29, 2012 10:44 PMWhen I was a sprog, if I'd done what those little shits did, firstly, I'd have been thrown off the bus then and there for the rest of the school year. And when I got home, my old man, God Bless him, would have beaten me half to death. Twice. Then he would have made me walk to school until I graduated from High School if it meant I had to walk fifteen miles each way. In this case, I blame the parents or lack thereof at least as much as the idiots in the school administration. The lot of 'em should be very proud of themselves. If it had been my Grandma on that bus, every one of those shits would have needed dental work and a stay in the hospital. She was the mother of sons. Sons who grew up to kill Japs and Krauts and who feared and respected her. God knows I did. She would never have boarded that bus unarmed. She had a club a strap and was not reluctant to use them. Nor was my Mom. There is nothing quite so effective as a nasty bruise or welt every once in a while to instill respect. All those little shits need some well placed bruising and welting. Butts and thighs are put there by God for a reason.
Posted by: Gerry N. at June 29, 2012 11:35 PMMr. Mudd (real Name) was and old black man driving my bus when I was a kid. I never caused him any troubles because it was obvious that he worked hard in his youth and he had what I call "Framer Arms". Those giant forearms and uber large hands. Well some kids got to fighting and one was flipped over a seat and getting his beating by a ugly white boy who had an extra Y chromazone I believe. He was large and funny looking and I didn't make eye contact with him ever. Well Ugly white boy is beating on other guy and Mr. Mudd stopped the bus and told him to stop. Ugly didn't listen. Mr. Mudd walked down and pulled him off the other kid and I heard "Take your hands off me nigger" followed by what sounded like when you throw a raw steak down on the counter. When I looked up ugly was laid out cold" Mr. Mudd went back to his route. I had to step over ugly at my stop and never saw him again. Most quiet bus ever after that.
Posted by: JohnB at June 30, 2012 7:23 AMMr Hooper was my bus driver. No monitor at all. He was the driver and monitor at the same time. If things got out of hand, he would stop the bus and deal with it. Nobody fucked with Mr. Hooper, ever.
I saw Mr. Hooper knock the shit out someone once, he didn't really hurt him, but he put the "fear" in everyone.
We need more of the Mr. Hooper kind.
I think I'll put up a blurb about Mr. Hooper. Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by: Yabu at June 30, 2012 2:14 PMGerry N. captured the nut of the matter beautifully. Bus drivers in my day did not take a single molecule of shit from the riders: I can personally attest to this, as even as a kindergarten kid I learned what was considered beyond the limits of acceptable behavior. Ignorance or innocence was no excuse, either.
V-man, clearly your all-too-brief gig in the Busly Sector gives you special insight here. You called this one perfectly.
Posted by: Elisson at June 30, 2012 6:09 PMI got what you were saying but you sound like a moron .using the words to describe her ... What ever happened to walking to school PERIOD!
Posted by: russ at July 5, 2012 1:07 AMWhen I was a sprog, if I'd done what those little shits did, firstly, I'd have been thrown off the bus then and there for the rest of the school year. And when I got home, my old man, God Bless him, would have beaten me half to death. Twice. Then he would have made me walk to school until I graduated from High School if it meant I had to walk fifteen miles each way. In this case, I blame the parents or lack thereof at least as much as the idiots in the school administration. The lot of 'em should be very proud of themselves. If it had been my Grandma on that bus, every one of those shits would have needed dental work and a stay in the hospital. She was the mother of sons. Sons who grew up to kill Japs and Krauts and who feared and respected her. God knows I did. She would never have boarded that bus unarmed. She had a club a strap and was not reluctant to use them. Nor was my Mom. There is nothing quite so effective as a nasty bruise or welt every once in a while to instill respect. All those little shits need some well placed bruising and welting. Butts and thighs are put there by God for a reason.
Posted by: Marlenqvz at November 10, 2012 7:11 AMWhen I was a sprog, if I'd done what those little shits did, firstly, I'd have been thrown off the bus then and there for the rest of the school year. And when I got home, my old man, God Bless him, would have beaten me half to death. Twice. Then he would have made me walk to school until I graduated from High School if it meant I had to walk fifteen miles each way. In this case, I blame the parents or lack thereof at least as much as the idiots in the school administration. The lot of 'em should be very proud of themselves. If it had been my Grandma on that bus, every one of those shits would have needed dental work and a stay in the hospital. She was the mother of sons. Sons who grew up to kill Japs and Krauts and who feared and respected her. God knows I did. She would never have boarded that bus unarmed. She had a club a strap and was not reluctant to use them. Nor was my Mom. There is nothing quite so effective as a nasty bruise or welt every once in a while to instill respect. All those little shits need some well placed bruising and welting. Butts and thighs are put there by God for a reason.
Posted by: stufbibes at January 8, 2013 10:56 PMI saw Mr. Hooper knock the shit out someone once, he didn't really hurt him, but he put the "fear" in everyone. We need more of the Mr. Hooper kind. Mr Hooper was my bus driver. No monitor at all. He was the driver and monitor at the same time. If things got out of hand, he would stop the bus and deal with it. Nobody fucked with Mr. Hooper, ever. I think I'll put up a blurb about Mr. Hooper. Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by: Tiffanylot at June 6, 2013 1:12 AM