My Own Personal Joy the Bus Driver

    

August 17, 2014

Between Chapters 2-8 of The Energy Bus, we find out that George is in the midst of some serious challenges in his professional and personal life. We learn that he began to view his life in recent years as a series of disappointments and could’ve beens, despite that on the surface he has a seemingly picturesque marriage and family, and a successful career. We also learn that an innocuous trip to the auto-repair shop becomes the microcosm of life-change that George so desperately needs to transform his outlook and approach. We learn that George has to muster the courage to allow Joy the Bus Driver to usher in those needed changes in George’s life, compliments of her 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life.

                The first of Joy’s 10 Rules, You’re the Driver of Your Own Bus, is a great place to begin to unpack not only the common professional and personal challenges of George’s life, but it also serves as a fitting mantra to remind ourselves about the power of positive and willful thinking. In the world of philosophy, it’s the Existentialists who posit that each individual provides their own meaning, passion, direction, and energy to their life, as opposed to any external forces. Joy the Bus Driver attempts to explain the same to George. In our world of Education the innumerable accountability measures, policies, procedures, and mandated programs make it easy to lose site of the power we all truly have over the circumstances within our own classroom, team, school, and with our students. Our challenges in Education are real, and always seem to shift somehow. Yet the mission of service to our families is undaunted and constant.

In times of my own frustrations, I harken back to my days as a 22 year old first year high school history teacher (much like George remembering himself of yesteryear in Chapter 6). I recall being ready to light the world on fire! I recall feeling like my entire destiny was before me, and I was prepared to embrace any challenge, any unforeseen circumstance, and any curveball my career as an urban high school teacher in Los Angeles could possibly throw me! Then of course, those things eventually did happen, from unspeakable student tragedies, to the never-ending cycles of poverty, crime, and systemic low expectations. Some of those challenges temporarily frayed my enthusiasm, but I was always reenergized by our students’ resolve to do whatever they could to advance their circumstances by completing their education, and often becoming the first of their families to graduate from college. 

Chapters 2-8 remind me of many of my students in those early days of my career who were the drivers of their own buses. I was also reminded of my own personal Joy the Bus Driver from that era in my life:  Mrs. Sonja Davis, the principal who hired me out of graduate school. Mrs. Davis was the eternal optimist, the eternal believer in the undefeatable power of teacher-driven innovation as the avenue to solve every systemic challenge schools face. Our high school eventually reached previously unforeseen heights for an urban public high school in California, based on her endless supply of optimism, forward thinking, and positive energy. I was pleasantly reminded of those times by these chapters of our book.

In closing I want to invite all Barnwell staff members to consider joining us on Thursday December 11, 2014, for our Service Holiday Party. In lieu of our traditional holiday party, this year I would like to invite you all to consider your availability afterschool on December 11, as we celebrate the holidays together serving those in need at North Fulton Charities from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. What better way to live out Joy the Bus Driver’s mantra of the power of positivity?...

            If you enjoyed reading Chapters 2-8 in The Energy Bus, you may also appreciate the article linked below. The article provides some further insight on thought awareness, and rational and positive thinking:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_06.htm

-Norman