Every organization, especially schools, has places where problems quietly live. Not because they’re invisible, but because addressing them feels uncomfortable, disruptive, or inconvenient. Like bad behavior on the school bus, right?
Over time, those known gaps become normalized, and “less than” acceptable behavior is tolerated simply because it’s familiar. Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean it always has to be.
Everyone is in awe of the lion tamer
in a cage with half a dozen lions —
everyone but a school bus driver.
— Laurence J. Peter
Watch "School Bus Blues" on the Educators Among Us Podcast
School bus drivers have a hard job conveying kids to school, home, and events.
Many travel on that big yellow tank that is designed for safety not comfort, and this part of the educational experience is most often not remembered fondly.
Toward the back is the perfect place for unruly behavior and bullying, despite
the best efforts of the driver who has to navigate the road while keeping order.
The school bus is a risky place, as is the cafeteria, bathroom, and locker room.
You cannot fix people who will not take
feedback, because from their perspective,
they do not have a problem
— Henry Cloud
But that isn't news—we've known for years that these are the zones where poor behavior often happens, and yet they still retain their dark influence. Why?
Our intentionality in seeking and fixing the experience gaps reflects the nature of our collective soul, revealing the degree to which we will tolerate less than.
Because people suffer when we refuse to get uncomfortable with what's wrong.
Whoever conceals their sins does
not prosper, but the one who confesses
and renounces them finds mercy.
― Proverbs 28:13
The best version of us is found only after unmasking mediocrity disguised as excellence.
What are we not talking about that we should be talking about?
Do our people feel safe to identify a failure without being negatively labeled?
Do we have a commonly used process for owning and undeniably fixing them?
When we're no longer willing to settle for less than being our best, our students no longer have to sing the School Bus Blues and remember those painful times.
Get uncomfortable with the gaps. Positive and long lasting change happens when we honestly confront and fix the gaps together
Listen to "School Bus Blues" on the Educators Among Us Podcast
