Unsung Heroes Of The Predawn Light

We are the unsung heroes of the predawn light.

No we may never have fought in a great war,

or saved a soul from the snapping jaws of death.

People wave to us, but few know who we are

and most on a good days run could care less.

Like the organ grinder’s monkey from days of old,

we have been repeatedly trained to do a task.

We do a job few would even consider doing

and most would not even attempt to try.

A job burdened with ever growing responsibility

due to the minutia of a ever expanding bureaucracy.

A grossly undervalued, underappreciated profession

designated part-time by thoughtless administrations

that mouth how important we all are once a year

only to persecute us for every trifling thing later.

If you are lucky enough to survive a number of years

without resigning or becoming a sacrificial lamb

on the altar of a fearful self-serving public face,

you will get a tiny pension for your devoted service.

We are the unsung heroes of the predawn light.

The tolerant souls that routinely put up with

a few rude demanding manipulative parents

and their insolent misbehaving little darlings

just to be able to serve the greater majority

of decent well-meaning thoughtful parents

and the precious treasures of tomorrow

they have temporarily entrusted to us.

Like a hamster running on a little wheel,

we go around in circles every single day,

but unlike the hamster we must summon

every instinct and learned skill to insure

every turn we make is executed flawlessly.

We are kept aloft on our spinning wheel

by the deliberate hands of a caring heart

and the many small souls seated behind us

that come to trust us not to make a mistake.

We are the one person in their little lives

that are not allowed to ever let them down

for neither of us may be able to live with it.

We are their school bus drivers…

Written By Poet and Bus Driver Kim Morrison dedicated to fellow school bus drivers everywhere.

Published by

kinnycut

I have been writing quite a number of years. I have been published numerous times and I have won several writing awards throughout the years. I won one from a state contest through my college, the College of Central Florida. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from that same college in 2015 with a degree in Mass Communications. I have a BA in Psychology from Saint Leo University and a Masters in Forensic Psychology from SNHU.

18 thoughts on “Unsung Heroes Of The Predawn Light”

  2. One student said I’m “just a bus driver” I’m ur parents best friend returning you safely home or to school. We appreciate well behaved students n kind parents.

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  3. This is so true I have been driving for 14 years and I can’t believe how some schools do not appreciate their drivers at all, and some go out of their way to show they appreciate the drivers everyday… I always seem to get the school that does nothing for their drivers.

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  4. I have been a school bus driver for 30 years this year. I did not even get a thank you from my boss or the school. I fell on school property. I broke my wrist. Had a plate put in with 9 screws . missed 6 weeks in the beginning of the year. My boss gave my run to someone else.He gave me a run longer and it has 17 stops on it. I’m on the run an hour and a half longer. I do it for the kids. I’m going to retire soon.

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    1. I felt pretty abused by the time I left, but what hurt me the most was their lack of acknowledgement when I went above and beyond for my students and their families

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      1. On my run I had 39 students. 1 parent followed me for two weeks. Went to the office told them I’m the only bus with windows down. There child had special needs. Can’t handle the cold 62 degree temps. Boss told me to put specific windows up and turn the heat on and off every 5 mins. He stated that the parents wanted the student to experience the big bus.
        I told him not enough air for my liking. He said you took care of special needs before. So I did the PM run and decided it was no longer for me after 7 years of service . I quit on a Friday afternoon after the pm run. They don’t care that the students are within 6 ft and don’t wear masks. Drivers are just a number!

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    3. I said that to my boss one time that a thank you once in awhile would be nice , he said , ” we are not in business to make you happy,we’re in business to make money! Shortly after that he said hey can you help us out? We’re really short drivers today ! I said, “Don’t let your lack of organization become my state of emergency ! He says thank you now!

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    4. It’s a shame school bus drivers are not appreciated more then they are. I was in a writing in speech class, when I was encourage to write my book about school bus stories. Since then and listening to so many School bus drivers experiences, I realized, it’s so much more then all that! Wow ! I need to get busy on a New Addition, with so much more needed info. that the general public needs to know, and so much more! 🥴

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  5. I love this poem. I have been a school bus driver for the past 5 years. Yes, I agree, acknowledgment for the work we do is very slim; but I like what I do, and I’m doing this for me. Always looking at the posotive side of things. Thank you for those kind and true words.

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  6. I have been a school bus driver for over 30 year’s and I can truthfully say, other than having my 4 now adult children , my career as a school bus driver has been the best . choice I’ve made in my life . Although there have been many changes since I started driving a double clutch, 5 speed , bus to a big yellow automatic bus, I have had from K-high school, the most wonderful student’s and parent’s who have shown me nothing except respect and gratitude . Yes, in my earlier year’s, I did have problems but was able to deal with them . Now , with the support of my superior’s and the school’s I drive for, there are extremely minimal problem’s . My older student’s use no profanity and are alway’s polite as are my elementary and middle schooler’s . As I am beginning to put my retirement in place for 2021 , I will alway’s look back at these past year’s with a great deal of love and so many fond memories .

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    1. I did the job for almost 15 years and I have some fond memories of the job, the kids, and the people I worked with. The only thing that ever stuck in my craw was how the leadership of transportation treated us and this is where this poem comes from. I did not like how they treated us as if we were disposable when we and others knew we were not.

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  7. I’ve have been a proud School Bus Driver for 37 yrs. This year would have been my 38th. But was let go (last 7 with this ISD.Almost 30 with 1st ISD. Said down sizing,???? Worst part, my kiddos. Never thought I could miss anything sooo much. I always joke and say only job I never really minded getting up at 3 to 5 am for!! Wasn’t always,great! 1st run Gangs. Youll never believe!! BUT Had that run 10 yrs. Still love them all.Special children since. Can’t wait to get back somewhere next year. BEST JOB EVER. Try it you’ll love it!!!

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