By Alexa Kane
Round Table editor

It was the end of the day; I was anxious to get home and I was starving. I boarded the bus like any other day, expecting a speedy ride home. As the clock hit 2:25, all the buses started and left except one, mine. Instead my bus let out a shrill sound and slowly inched forward before the engine completely died.

So we waited for a new bus to come and take us home. Many students objected to waiting and tried to call their parents or friends to get them, but, as I learned that day, once you board the bus you can’t get off until you arrive at your final destination.  

The way the students acted on the bus that day surprised me. One boy asked if the bus driver was “retarded” since he was not allowed to get off the bus. A few minutes later, a friend of his showed up that appeared to be in middle school and claimed he was there to take the kid home. After the bus driver refused and the boy started cursing, he was escorted off the bus by coach Lynott and was led into the building.

In the mean time, there was a line of parents outside the door of the bus to pick up their kids. Students explained that they had to leave because they had somewhere they needed to be, but the bus driver merely said “don’t we all.” The parents however were able to get their kids if they went into the office and asked.

This made sense: if a student had a legitimate excuse to get off the bus, they should be allowed to, but the others students should have waited. Getting home after an extra 30 minutes isn’t the worst thing in the world if it would save their parents an unnecessary trip to pick them up, but apparently I was the only one who felt this way.

 I couldn’t help but feel bad for the bus driver. The students acted as if it was her fault, but all she was doing was following the FCPS rules. If a student slipped off the bus and then committed a crime, the blame in some way or another would be directed towards the bus driver.

The bigger picture is that in today’s world, it seems as if teenagers always have a place to be; there is not one moment when they are content just waiting patiently for something to happen. Teens always have to be doing some sort of activity. For some reason, sitting quietly and observing surroundings is a daunting task for teens today.  

When the bus broke down that day, students’ first reaction wasn’t what it should have been. Instead of waiting patiently for another bus to arrive, their first instinct was to call their parents so they could get home and return to their normal routine as quickly as possible.