Now that the brouhaha has subsided a bit over the recent incident involving school bus bullies near Rochester, N.Y., I’d like to offer a thought I haven’t yet seen expressed. The 68-year-old bus monitor, who was the victim of bullying seventh-graders, has acquired wealth beyond her dreams through an outpouring of public support, so it’s safe to assume she won’t be back on the bus any time soon. If this turns out to be the case, the board or committee that hired her for the position will need to find a replacement. Let’s hope that they devote a bit more thought to the qualities they need in a bus monitor.
I’d be looking for someone who would command the respect of his or her charges — someone who, in a similar situation, won’t be afraid to direct the driver to pull over and stop the bus; someone who won’t be afraid to announce to the pupils that the vehicle will not move another inch until he or she writes down the names of the bullies to give to the school principal.
The video in this case shows me that the bus monitor’s employers could hardly have chosen a less suitable personality for the job.