Perhaps no one sees their community as much or as well as school bus drivers. In their route, school bus drivers go into all neighborhoods and down many side streets that mass transit buses and other vehicles don’t use and the police may circle only now and again. It’s always intrigued me what school bus […]
An American President once called for our nation to look for ‘a thousand points of light’ around our communities and neighborhoods. His call was for us to find ways to unite and to see the good in one another while also encouraging us all to find ways to help one another. In that same spirit, […]
When I was young and serving our church as a reader at Sunday Mass, I once added to the communal prayer (that the pastor had personally prepared) a plea for those who died alone. The first time I inserted it (at the holiday season), he asked, or maybe he barked: “Hey Mannella, what the heck […]
As I sat and pondered what strand of thought to follow in what is often called a ‘thought piece,’ it struck me that my intent in each of these monthly writings was to get us all to just consider topics and share discussion. It seems like there is not enough time in our days lately […]
It’s a wonderful time of the year! So goes the song. This wonderful time of the year happens to be the October perennial known as “School Bus Safety Week.” This is OUR week! What can we celebrate during this week? What can you do to commemorate it in your operation? Why does it matter? So, […]
In her 1990s ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ book series, author Jean Auel described early mankind as communal, with annual gatherings of the tribes to share foods, sports, medicines, religion, clothing, and social traditions. Each time I’ve attended a NAPT Annual Conference and Trade Show over the years, I felt that spirit inside me; that […]
CAVEAT LECTOR (Let the reader beware): I write this piece acknowledging I am neither attorney nor a professional journalist. But my experiences in each of those worlds have afforded me certain useful knowledge and insights. That is what I share here. I hope to provoke thoughts on your end, and I also caution you to […]
In business marketing, the concept of ‘brand loyalty’ can be defined as follows: Brand loyalty…consists of a consumer’s commitment to repurchase or otherwise continue using the brand and can be demonstrated by repeated buying of a product or service or other positive behaviors such as word of mouth advocacy. Think about it and you’ll see […]
It was February 9, 2004. A gunman opened fire in my daughter’s high school. No fatalities. A special ed teacher was shot and injured and an assistant principal tackled the shooter to end the incident. I remember driving to the school with my ‘flip phone’ in hand hoping to hear from my daughter on […]
In 1850, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote Sonnet #43, which we know today by its endearing opening line: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” As we exit February and move past America’s Valentines’ Day, I thought it would be appropriate to think about the many ways we love the school bus. […]