What began as a typical school bus driver-student relationship has grown into a family friendship. Our driver has safely transported our children to school and returned them home each evening. We trust him with their lives. He takes the extra minute to ensure they’re not running late and avoids those dreaded miss the bus moments. He takes the extra second to say good morning and have a good evening. He takes the time to know them as individuals and not just their first names. He has been a blessing as a parent. Our children know and understand the bus rules are to ensure their safety and that he is able to focus on getting them where they are to be without incident. Despite the challenges and uncertainty Covid-19 has brought, he hasn’t complained about the extra cleaning, the extra routes, the extra challenges needed to meet the new guidelines, or the uncertainty of not knowing if tomorrow our schools will be open. His concern is the health and safety of the children in his care. He is known in the community as so much more than just a bus driver. His family owns Truesdale Farms, a local dairy farm. One can find him at our county fair each summer with a baby calf alongside his cattle to spark the interest of children and adults in dairy farming. He doesn’t hesitate to share knowledge about farming in our rural community. We know this because in 2018, we brought home his baby calf. He has always been just a phone call away for us in the caring and everyday life of owning a steer. He has made house calls to give advice, medication, and vaccinations to keep him healthy. His grandchildren are involved in 4-H, and local athletics, and you can find him often at the ball fields, and 4-H events. We wouldn’t have made it as far as we have with our steers without him. He will give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. This past summer he was in his fields teaching our son how to pick corn and green beans. We are blessed to have our driver in our lives and saddened that since we moved across town this past summer, he is no longer our bus driver. Despite this, he still checks in with us to see how our children are doing. Our oldest graduated last year, but our youngest has had concerns about his new bus driver when he returns to school mid-March. Our driver has ensured him that his driver will take good care of him and that he shouldn’t have any issues as long as he remembers our driver’s rules. We will miss seeing him every school day but he will forever remain a family friend.
Garrett County Public Schools
