My dad spent his Christmas break organizing his house (a long overdue project), and uncovered this artistic gem while going through some old papers:

I designed this in first grade.  Even back then I recognized the importance of all the players involved in educating children.  I guess first grade marks the turning point when I began developing for a future career in academia.  Even as a child, I showed awareness that so many more than just faculty contribute major roles in the educational process.

That’s the serious and philosophical interpretation of my early artwork.  The humorous interpretation probably provides evidence of my compromised mental state.

You see, it’s very odd that I would have recognized the importance of my bus driver in my own education as my bus driver hated me. ME –The perfectly well-behaved little people pleaser teacher’s pet!  I was the only student on the entire bus run who had an assigned seat, right behind the bus driver as a matter of fact.  Maybe possibly I created this poster before my fall from grace in the bus driver’s eyes?

Here’s how the fall happened…

When I began first grade, way back in August if 1990, Preston entered kindergarten, and we rode the bus home from school together every afternoon.  Preston and I rarely sat together, of course, because he was a kindergartener and I was a big first grader; I already had established friends to sit with so Preston was left to sit with other kindergarteners.  After a few weeks he started sporting a bloody nose as we would walk up our long driveway together after the bus dropped us off.  When this happened for the third or fourth time, my parents demanded that I begin sitting with Preston to investigate and see what (or who)was causing the bloody noses.  Ten minutes into the bus ride, I found out exactly what caused the bloody nose as my head bounced off of the back of the seat in front of me and I saw stars.

Let me interject here with the information that I honestly had an almost perfect reputation for behavior all through school (minus some small infractions, but those stories are for another day).  So the fact that I reacted, er, shall we say “strongly” to this incident was a bit out of character for me.  I honestly don’t remember my reaction (it was 23 years ago, after all), but apparently it was bad.  I do remember getting off the bus and smarting off to my parents (not an unknown occurence for me, but definitely not a frequent event).  I marched in the door and announced “I hope your happy because now I’m in trouble for fighting and you have to meet with my principal!”  I also remember the other kid involved. Shane.  Just his name causes my eyes to narrow and my temper to flare.  Dumbass punk kid.  He always caused mayhem and discord wherever he traveled.  I’m not sure if Shane was his middle name, but later on in middle school he began going by “Derrick.”  Funny how I can remember what a pain in the ass he was all through school, but I can’t remember him getting in any trouble over our altercation.  I clearly remember that I was the only kid on the entire bus with an assigned seat, however.

So indigent self righteousness aside, I still appreciate the contribution that bus drivers made to my education, and I still believe strongly that educating everyone takes everyone.  So now I’m doing my part in athletics administration and English composition to educate everyone.  What are you doing?