Back to school means a great many things. When most individuals reminisce their back to school days, they may consider various aspects of their education and so on. Where they went to school, who their friends were, which of their teachers they were most fond of, perhaps a stolen kiss here and there or even their grand award for something or another.
Most often while recalling back to school days some might think of recess, ball games as well as hot school days sitting in the boiling sun falling through large picture windows while eating lunch in the cafeteria. Back to school days should be fun and worth making some quality school memories.
However, sometimes school occurrences make unpleasant memories such as the day that girl broke her back on a trampoline during a gym class incident that the gym teacher never reported the accident or checked on the student; unfortunately this girl still suffers the neglect of that teachers duty. Or perhaps, watching the star football player crumple out cold in front of both groups and teams on the school pavement after his winning game as he is going to his car, thankfully his parents were there and the ambulance came to get him soon after.
Actually there are so many individuals that the back to school days scenario can include any number of issues.
Take for example the Back to School Forgotten Child.
You may be wondering about this forgotten child, I know I was and so to relieve some tension, I am telling you this story of the back to school forgotten child.
Imagine if you will, you are 9 years old and you have recently been moved up to the next higher grade, just after the beginning of the back to school year. You are thrilled, yet you are frightened and nervous of your new surroundings. Being in the fourth grade sounds like a pretty good place to be, so even though you are afraid you get up every morning excited to go to school. You like your new teacher, you know the new teacher’s assistance and already love her. You have been doing very well and a whole week, that is five school days are coming to a close and then all of a sudden you are the Back to School Forgotten Child!
How Did This Happen!
For some strange reason, there is no school intercom message releasing your class to the school bus so you can all go home after a long day at school. While you are waiting for your class to be called, the bus that you ride to school and back everyday drives away without you. You are now the Back to School Forgotten Child. You are the new kid, in a new school and the darn bus you have been riding in back and forth all your elementary school career left for Home Without You. Now, doesn’t that sound like something to be frightened and nervous about?
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch…
I’m talking about your home now. You know the place the bus is going and you are not, that’s it. Home Sweet Home!
Character Change:
Now imagine being the mother of a 9 year old who has recently been promoted to a higher grade and to a different local school in a not so savory part of the area. You were a bit nervous since you really would rather the school be further away from that area, but hey it seems to be going alright for the past few days. So you are patiently waiting at home for the School Bus to return your child. The bus drives up and then starts turning around to leave, since you are at the end of the line the bus can do this in your yard, even if it wears holes in the lawn.
Something seems strange, the bus pulling in and backing out is too quick, your hair begins to stand on end. You are thankful you have the front door open for the entrance of your child’s return from school, because it would have hurt to have plowed through it when you do not see your child outside in the yard and the bus is on its active way out your drive.
You take flight like you even forgot you may have had at one time or even displayed in awhile and then your voice comes out almost as deep as a man’s, “Ho!”, “Ho!” and believe me it is not the voice of Santa laughing, but the voice of someone who is fixing to stop a bus NOW even if it is by sheer willpower and mind concentration! That bus will know that you are after it and it will stop! Even then your mother’s heart, mind and soul is roaring and ready for whatever may be required of finding and having your child with you right this moment!
You throw your arms out wide bent at the elbows and the hands and you holler just as deeply and louder than before, “Where is My Child!”
All the while you are trying to gather control of not only the situation, but of your natural instincts to attack something that brings your child harm, to protect your child at all costs.
You figure most likely, all the neighbors in a 5 mile radius is wondering who the loud crazy woman is as well as perhaps praying for the subject whom is being questioned. But you really do not give diddly squat at this very moment what anyone in the whole wide world may think, you want your child and you want your child Right Now!
NOW!
You can feel your eyes glazing over while your heart skips too many beats as well as aiming a clear censored focus on the bus riders inside, there are only three children that you can see inside on the seats. The bus is nearly empty and driving away from you and the damn thing better well stop!
Believe me, it is a MOM Thing or maybe even a DAD thing…it comes natural, it sits and waits, it watches continually and when it is been roused it can be overwhelmingly ferocious in feeling! There is no doubt that this is primal power which is deeply embedded within.
Thankfully, the brake lights come on and the bus does stop, the door opens and you are merely teased by the memories of your child getting off of the bus at home with you where that child belongs yet your mind and heart knows your child is not on that bus. Next, steps out a young bus driver and you are glad there is still a good bit of distance between you and the driver and that the driver is prompt with an error of release answer, since all you really want to do is shake that driver for driving away from school in the bus coming to your house without your child as well as for the audacity to drive away without leaving your child or offering you any type of communication concerning the matter.
Now, your head quickly assimilates the knowledge that your child is still at school, naturally, the next words out of your mouth are, “Well, how is she getting home?”
Thankfully, you have already had the good sense to stop and not approach further, since if you did get your hands on that person standing in front of you, you aren’t sure what you would do since your Mothering Instincts have been terribly trampled upon and you still do not have your missing child with you. Even the shaking in your hands bears witness of this to you.
Then unexpectedly to you, the driver says, “Would you like me to go get her and bring her home?”
“Yes, please, yes, please do go get her and bring her home.” Is the only thing you can say as you realize this school bus driver is both smart and lucky today, to think so quickly to ask, before you order his sweet self back there anyway to get your child.
How dare he even consider getting up and leaving his own home today and then risk life and limb; simply because some mechanical intercom wasn’t working and he does not have your precious lifes package safe and sound right here and now. His speed of answering and his wonderful idea to go do his own job, allows him to step out of the spotlight as the offender, the intruder, the person who drove more than 17 miles to get to you and then not deliver your child, you bet he better DO Something and He Better Do It Quick!
Of course, while all of this is going on you are still trying to catch and calm your beating frightened heart as you walk back towards the house without your now missing child, on shaken legs and weak jelly knees hoping you can make yourself inside before falling over in a big nervous heap.
You go back into the house and try to call the school to find out more and make sure your missing child is actually at school and is safe and sound and not all alone crying; not sure what to think or do. However, one school phone line no one answers no matter how often you call it and the other school phone line stays continually busy no matter how often you call it. Figures, right? So what do you do to make sure that your child is safe?
You naturally consider calling the sheriff’s number and have them go check and then you remember you live in the county and the school is in the city. You know the sheriff’s number by heart and now have to go searching for the number for the city police, thankfully it is in the front of the telephone book but now you have to get your glasses since you are so upset that you cannot even read those little larger numbers. You make that call, the dispatcher tells you in the most time consuming, slow, boring and sleepy voice that she will send a car to find out and then call you back to let you know something. Heck, you figure she should have already flown there and back again to see about your child in the time it takes her to speak a few words. You wonder if this one could use some shaking awake.
While you are waiting, you remember that the child’s father is to take the child after school to shop for a children’s Halloween costume. And then the in next moment the father is driving up, your stomach turns and your head swoons, since you are already a nervous wreck and you wonder how will you tell him that his child, his baby was left at school by the school bus driver. You think she’s at the school, but you are not really sure.
Oh my goodness, this is definitely Not what you want to convey and you fret over the rushing thoughts while walking to the door, knowing that the father may be ready to do some shaking of people as well, and then all of a sudden the passenger side door opens and you wonder who is with him after work to pick up the child to go shopping for children’s Halloween costumes.
As you get closer and the passenger moves out of the shadows and towards the open door, your mind causes your eyes to more closely focus and all of a sudden all the worries about your missing child fall away from you, as she climbs out of the car. Your eyes well up with tears as your mind, heart and soul scream in unison, Thank You Lord!
What does the father have to say with a sour expression on his face? “Why didn‘t you answer the phone? The school tried to call twice, I‘ve been calling since. I had to leave work to go get her and bring her home.”
Your reply, “The phone has not rung all day, I‘ve been here all day and the phone has not rang once.” It had not and the only conclusion for that result is a teenager playing with the mute button at night so that any late ringing does not wake the mother and cause her to fuss about late night calls and then leaving the phone on mute while exiting the home to get on the same bus to go to school with her young sister. While tinkering with the buttons trying to figure it out, you set the ringer on loud, hug and kiss your child and ask all sorts of relieved mother of missing children questions of a back to school forgotten child who just got back home where she belongs.
This morning, I wrote the school a letter concerning what I thought about this back to school forgotten child incident. I’m sharing it with you as well just in case you ever have a need.
This is my sample letter concerning my back to school forgotten child. All I can say is I am kin to my dad and you do not mess with the kids. We put them on the buses as required for public school children and you better damn well make sure you put them on their bus to come home or we have no problems addressing the matter promptly one way or the other.
Today 7:16 AM October 2009
PLACE IN Permanent Records!
To All Whom it may Concern:
1. I am making a formal demand here and now that NO SCHOOL that Child’s Full Name may be attending now and or ever, shall ever allow the school bus she does ride home and to school; to vacate the premises without ensuring board and transportation of said child, my own.
2. I would like to suggest cell phones for ALL BUS DRIVERS and that any bus driver leaving a minor bus boarder = child, be called back AT ONCE FOR RETRIEVAL of that child and on again to bring it safely back = RETURN CHILD HOME
* Or better yet, How about a SIMPLE Head Count Before said BUS & Driver Leave the school grounds WITHOUT ANY CHILD (*Duh)
Yes, I am upset; however I am not finished…
3. I would like to make an un-needed request if request #2 is taken in practice by a sensible school. If not, Then I request that a fundamental step be added to the bus driver training courses = HOW TO NOT DRIVE OFF WITHOUT CHILDREN and if you do, DO NOT DRIVE AWAY FROM YOUR FORGOTTEN student/child’s home!
STOP. TALK with the Mother. DO NOT leave her to run behind the bus begging the answer to Her Missing Child!
Grrr!
I cannot believe the school allowed such to occur!
Therefore:
Straighten up the Act!
Do your jobs and ensure every child is properly cared for & ESPECIALLY MINE!
Make sure Child’s Full Name IS on her bus home EVERYDAY!
Thank you,
Name
Telephone Number
~ ~ ~
I know this is long, but I just had to get this one out. I found this incident to be terribly frightening, while it was happening.
I do not believe there is ANY Excuse good enough for a child being left behind by the school bus and I do believe that all the schools should be responsible for their transportation back home when the child rides their bus from home to school. As far as I am concerned these back to school forgotten child moments are totally uncalled for, inexcusable and should never happen to any child or any mother waiting at home for their child to return from school on the bus.
* Personally, I think some folks deserve a good swift kick in the arse for this one!
However, My baby is home safe and then back to school today, I’ll not shake anyone or give them a good swift kick, even though I think it would do them well for such as this. I will however, make sure that the school does get their letter about this incident and they better pay attention, heed the demand of ensuring the safe boarding and unboarding of my child on their bus to and from home and their grounds daily or I’ll have to try to control myself, not to chew off more than just a two page large print note and a simple online web content article. This is, in my opinion, one of those truly uncalled for WTF moments when it comes to back to school experiences!
if you enjoyed this back to school article, you may be interested in reading this as well:
Back To School: Dress Uniforms for Overweight Children
© 2009 Sara Valor
