02/10/19

Troy Smith
Dr. Garrett
Engl 1301-7KA

Right Text Sent to Wrong Person

Being a bus driver for Pearland ISD, I get to drive the students and teachers to our local
zoos and museums during the day for field trips. Field trips are a big deal to the students and
their parents. School field trips are a time when the parents get very involved and want to be a
part of this exciting experience with their children.
As I’m pulling up to the bus loop of the school that I’m driving for the field trip, I see the
students, teachers and the parents standing in the loading zone, all with bright smiley happy
faces. I’m sure from years past the parents are thinking they too are riding the bus with their
children. Our policy at the transportation department is that parents are not allowed on the busses
with the students. I've been through this at least 20 times in the last ten years. I'm also sure the
teachers are aware of this rule too but choose to pass off the job of telling the parents to the bus
drivers and make us look like the evil no good bus driver to the children and parents.
The students, teachers, and parents start loading the bus, and I politely tell them “Parents
are not allowed to ride the buses” the shock response I get from the parents is as if I told them
about the tragic loss of a loved one. Some parents understand, and some do not, and they will
argue the reason that rule should not apply to them this time. I’ve heard some pitiful excuses
from “I don’t know the way” or “I’ll have to pay to park.” After about 5 minutes of the parents
debating with me about why they should be allowed to ride the bus for this special occasion, the
school's principal comes out to the bus. Even she tries to convince me that I should let the
parents ride with the students this time. I tell the principal “NO! It’s not up to me. These are the
transportation department rules.” I glance up towards the children seated on the bus waiting
patiently, they are all staring at me. If looks could kill, I would be one dead bus driver. Some of
the children looked as if they were on the verge of crying. Next, I hear from a parent “Well we
will call your boss and see what he says. “
Ok, now I think maybe I should just let the parents on the bus and hope for the best. I’m
thinking in my mind this whole time is my boss the director of transportation going to agree with
the parents and the principal and pawn the bad guy image off on me as the teachers did. After all,
I’ve learned “you're damned if you do and damned if you don’t” around my department. I hear
the call on the bus radio “Base to bus 269, Do you copy?” and it’s my bosses voice, and there’s
no mistaking who is calling when he gets on the radio. I’m looking at the parents and principal
when I answer the call “This is bus 269, go ahead, Mr. C”. His last name is Polish starts with a C
and very hard to pronounce, so the bus drivers call him Mr. C. “Are parents trying to load your
bus? “Yes sir, and I’ve informed them of our transportation rules. Parents are not allowed on the
bus”. The response I hear is like music to my ears and blasphemy to the parents and principle.
“269 you are correct, the parents are NOT allowed to ride the bus. If they have a problem, tell
them to contact me directly.” I respond with “Thank you. I will do that. 269 Copy and clear”. I
had my 2-way radio volume turned up loud enough that everyone, including the principle could
hear Mr. C’s response. One of the parents slapped their hands on their legs and stomped away.
The principle just looked at me and said “have a nice trip Mr. Smith” then turned abruptly and
walked away toward the parents. I hope she was explaining that these are the rules for the
children's best interests. It was a very tense drive with the parents following in their cars,
probably just watching me for any little mistake I make driving. We arrive smoothly and
uneventfully at the zoo and start unloading the students and teachers. I ask one of the two
teachers that rode my bus if we can exchange cell phone numbers to call me when I should return
to pick them up because buses are required to park in a parking lot about a ½ mile from the zoo.
We exchange numbers and go about our day. 
After parking the bus, I was eating lunch sitting on the bus, I sent my wife a text message
about the new foster dog we are keeping having an accident on the floor this morning. I also
attached a picture of the puddle of dog urine on the floor. Just after I hit send, I noticed I
was sending this picture of a puddle of dog urine to the teacher whom I had just exchanged cell
numbers. Oh, No. she will think I'm rude and condescending after the incident with the parents at
the school. There was nothing I could do to take the text back; I sent the right text to the wrong
person. I sent the teacher a text immediately explaining that it was an accident, and my wife was
the intended recipient of the text. My wife is a volunteer at the local animal shelter and provides
foster homes for the homeless shelter dogs, and the new foster dog had an accident in the house.
I waited for the worst possible response, but nothing. I sent another text to her apologizing and
again, explain the mishap. After about 3 hours of my mind thinking the worst scenarios of what
she will tell my boss, I finally get a text saying she was ready for me to return and pick them up.
Again, I'm thinking the worst, and I apologize to her as she is loading on the bus hoping she
knows it was a mistake. 
On the ride home, she sits behind me and explains she understands that mistakes happen,
and she too is a volunteer for an animal shelter as well. She told me she knows how hard it is for
orphaned animals to adjust to new surroundings. She thanked my wife and me for
being volunteers for such a good cause. That was a relief for me to hear, in my mind, I was
thinking” I’m going to get fired” when it was not that big of a deal after all.