After a week of Spring Break, school is back in session, and bus drivers are on the road again. Serving many area students, Wanda Cummins has been a well-known role model during her 28 years as a school bus driver for the Bolivar R-1 School District.
Twenty-eight years of bus driving has allowed Cummins to meet many students, as well as their families, and she says she hardly ever goes anywhere in town without seeing someone she knows. For 20 of those years, Cummins drove Bus 5, but when she took a couple months off of her bus driving job to help her husband recover from a surgery, she was assigned to her current vehicle, Bus 24.
“I started out years ago, because I had to take custody of my grandchild, and she was sick a lot,” Cummins said. “And the owner of the bus came to me and wanted to know if I’d be interested in driving, because I do live so far out. And I said, yes, I would consider it, because I was driving to Springfield to work at that time. I was called home a lot because of her being sick. I’d have to take her, so I was missing work. So I thought, well, if I’m driving a school bus, I’m home when she’s home. I have a better chance of not missing a lot of work and having to change jobs all the time.”
Thus, she took the job as a bus driver, and instead of missing work to take care of her granddaughter, she was granted more time with her grandkids, as she was able to take them to and from school. Now, she even drives her great-grandchildren to school.
Over the years, Cummins has transported generations of students to and from Bolivar Schools, saying that the students who rode her bus many years ago have children who currently ride her bus. She enjoys her job, and she is glad to see how happy and successful many students have become after they'v graduated.
“I’m just glad to see the ones I started off with years ago have helped themselves, raising families that are respectable,” Cummins says. “A bus driver’s job is not just driving a bus. We are counselors. We are teachers. I mean, we know probably more than parents know sometimes, because they come and discuss things with us that they don’t discuss with mom and dad. So when I say ‘my kids,’ they are my kids, because when they are on my bus, they are my kids. I have gone to bat several times for my kids, because I felt like they weren’t being treated fairly.”
One particular situation in which Cummins stepped in to help a student occurred a few years ago when she noticed a young boy who was having some problems in his home life. Knowing that the child needed some support, she went to the school counselor who was able to find the assistance that the boy needed to get him to a safer place and prevent him from being destructive to himself as well.
Early to rise, Cummins picks up her first group of children at 6:05 a.m. and finishes her morning route by unloading at 8:00. In the afternoon, she, along with other drivers, will pick up students at each of the Bolivar School buildings, saying that her day typically ends around 5 p.m. depending on the weather.
Through wet or slick roads, Cummins says her priority is to make sure to keep the kids safe, even if it delays the trip. At the beginning of each school year, drivers must participate in training sessions to stay knowledgeable about bus safety and to prevent accidents due to driver error. Not only are drivers responsible for ensuring that students are seated appropriately, but Cummins says that it is important for students to be mindful of their own bus behavior, ensuring they don’t put their arms or heads out of the window or sit with their backs against the side of the bus.
Laying out the rules, Cummins says that she has to remind students on her bus not to scream or yell, to watch their language, and to be polite to others. While some students consider her a strict driver, she says that she is following the rules that she was taught in order to keep students safe on the bus.
Driving the school bus has changed over the years, however. Cummins says that she’s noticed that kids are not as respectful and well-mannered as they were years ago, and she would like to see more parents being involved in their kids’ lives.
“We need bus drivers. We need people that care. We need people that are interested in children that can give their time of day to the child and make them part of it,” Cummins states. “Kids today are not like our kids of yesterday. They need more attention, because they are lacking it at home. I’m not saying that every parent is bad. I’m just saying that there are some parents out there that don’t give the kids the time that they need. So a driver needs to be willing to give him time during the time he’s on the bus.”
Only one other person has been driving a bus for Bolivar Schools longer than Cummins, and a handful of the current drivers have been there for several years as well. However, Cummins says that sometimes drivers don’t stay for long, because they don’t know how to handle the responsibilities of the job.
“We’ve had a big turnover, because, you know, you’ve got to be designed to drive a bus. If you’re not designed to drive a bus with 60+ kids behind you, then don’t be there, because you can’t sit there and scream at them and use language that’s not appropriate. So there’s no need for you to be there,” she says.
Cummins is well-acquainted with the other school bus drivers, and they all enjoy spending time together. Twice each week between her before- and after-school routes, Cummins will pick up and drop off students in the Talented And Gifted (TAG) programs. In between her routes, she and some of the other bus drivers will put puzzles together in the break room of the bus facility, hanging them up on the walls after the puzzles are completed.
Keeping a good camaraderie, Cummins says that some of the drivers go to the bus barn every day to help put the puzzles together and to visit with other drivers. She says that there are a couple of drivers that may not be super involved in the puzzles, but they have to make sure they’ve "contributed their one piece."
“I know all the drivers. We’ve had a lot come and a lot go, but we’ve got some good drivers,” she says. “It’s really a good group. It really is. I couldn’t ask for a better group to work with.”
Cummins says that there are drivers that “go above and beyond” by donating clothes to the kids at Home Court Advantage, an organization designed to guide and help youth make positive decisions; purchasing hats, gloves, and shoes for students in need; and giving gifts to students for special occasions, like Christmas and the last day of school.
“We’re supposed to be there for the kids. It isn’t the money; it’s the kids,” Cummins says. “You’ve got to be able to give yourself if you’re a driver. And that’s the most important factor, because these kids need us.”
Her many years of experience has taught her that compassion is the key word to being a bus driver, explaining that it’s crucial that drivers take the time to listen to the kids to make sure they are feeling seen and heard. She says that because drivers get to know the students outside of the classroom and are aware of their living environments, they are able to understand and empathize with the children in a way that other school staff members might not.
“It’s been an experience. It really has, and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she says, adding that she plans to continue driving the bus for several more years.
Bolivar Schools contracts their buses to Rains and Martin School Bus Barn. A few bus driver positions are currently open, and newly-hired drivers will receive training. For anyone interested in driving a school bus for the Bolivar R-1 School District, contact Russ Martin at 417-777-0608.
