Big Yellow Monsters

Driving by backpack-laden kids waiting at street corners, getting stuck in 15 mph school zones, hearing the echo of an announcer on a P.A. system when you drive by the high school football stadium on Friday night. Ahh, yes, the school year has begun. This is certainly the one time of year when I'm glad I steered clear of the profession my college degree was intended for. I'd much rather get stuck in school traffic than be in the classroom dealing with a new swarm of faces, attitudes, and forgotten homework excuses. But just because I'm not a teacher doesn't mean there's nothing for me to gripe about at the start of another school year. This time what gets me is what I like to call school bus comaraderie. You know what I'm talking about -- you're tailing a large, yellow bus, trying to get to work on time, and out of nowhere, it stops and lets two or three of its school bus friends pull out from a side street. Now you're not just stuck behind one view-obstructing nuisance that seems capable of going over 30 mph only when plowing over curbs, but four. They form a nice little train and chug on down the road. I know school buses are on a tight schedule and all, but does transporting America's future really make them above the code of driving etiquette? The way I see it, the future can wait. Just say no to school bus comaraderie (and while you're at it, you might as well say no to drugs, too.)