A Core 4 focus on student transportation
As a student at Seagoville High School, Maia Green dreamed of getting her CDL license and transforming student lives the way she had seen it done time and time again. Now, with five years of experience, first as a monitor and now as a bus driver, she is proud to be making those dreams come true.
“I saw how passionate the other drivers were about their kids, and how they worked to build a bond with the students and their parents,” Green said. “I thought, ‘I can be this passionate about the kids and I know my way around town, so I can exceed expectations and expand more, and I can have that same passion.’”
She clocks in each day around 6 a.m. and gets everything ready for her students, cleaning her bus and getting gas as needed before heading out on her route. Once she drops every student off safely at school, she cleans the bus again and takes a midday break before repeating the process in reverse to get her students home.
No matter what is going on in her personal life, Green said she greets everyone with a smile.
“I’m the first person they see in the morning and the last person they see before they go home to their family, so being able to tell them, ‘Have a good day,’ or, ‘Enjoy your weekend. I’ll see you Monday,’ to let them know that I am going to be back for them gives them something to look forward to. It’s a wonderful feeling to build upon with the kids because you never know what they’re going through at home, and I want them to feel comfortable coming to me and talking to me about it.”
Serving as a bus driver with a focus on students in Special Services programs, Green said she encourages her students to treat each other with respect and makes sure she has a good understanding of what each student needs to be safe and successful on their way to and from school.
Green said she sees practicing the Core 4 culture tenets of being focused, fast, flexible, and friendly as a natural part of what she does every day, showing up for her students and helping her fellow bus drivers keep their vehicles clean when they are struggling.
“I’m here to help and serve and get the kids where they need to go,” Green said. “Taking them to school, getting them two to three meals a day, and putting them in a safe environment is better than anything. So I will go over and beyond anytime they ask me.”
