“It’s just something that sticks with you,” says Tonnie Nordmeyer, a bus driver for the Johnston City School District. “Those kids, you get really attached to them. It’s just something that puts a smile on my face and love in my heart.”
Nordmeyer defines the adage, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” The Johnston City resident has been with the district for longer than she can remember. Nordmeyer admits she’s not very good with years and times before finally settling on 1994 as her hire date.
The reason Nordmeyer started, though, is still very clear.
“I wanted to be with my kids,” she recalls. “As they got older, be able to go to their sports events. Be able to drive the bus and just be part of the community.”
Like the United States Postal Service, bus drivers are behind the wheel in rain, sleet, snow, or shine. Sometimes driving long distances for tournaments, field trips, or after-school activities.
Nordmeyer says driving to Panama City, Florida, for a high school cheerleading camp is a trip she’ll never forget, especially since her daughter got to be with her.
“It was a brand new bus, but we found out there was a leak,” Nordmeyer laughs as she thinks back. “All the posters they made for cheer camp got wet, so we had to rush around and get new poster boards.”
Although Nordmeyer left for some time to start and run a family business, she eventually came back and still has a route today.
In 1997, Nordmeyer helped a family friend, Patricia Mueller, get a job at the school district driving buses. At the time, Mueller worked at a dentist's office and felt like she was missing out on her kids growing up.
“My oldest one was in junior high and getting into sports,” Mueller remembers. “It would put me to where I could take my kids on their school trips and be with them. If they got sick or anything, I would be right there.”
At first, driving such a big vehicle made Mueller nervous. It was something she had never done before. Mueller quickly got used to maneuvering the bus and the multi-tasking involved.
“A lot of times, you got 30 to 65 kids on the bus,” Mueller explains. “Then you’re trying to keep them corralled. You’re trying to keep your eyes on the road in front of you and what’s going on around you. Then, you can’t forget to stop and let certain kids off.”
February is Love the Bus Month, a time to show appreciation for drivers who provide reliable, safe transportation like Mueller and Nordmeyer. Right now, the Johnston City School District has seven bus drivers and three substitute bus drivers.
Becky Vancil, transportation director, recognizes all the bus drivers and their hard work. The shift includes early mornings to inspect the bus, late nights away from home for after-school programs, and sometimes, driving in bad weather conditions.
Vancil believes work-life balance draws people to become bus drivers, but strong relationships keep them clocking in.
“They become your kids for life,” Vancil says about students. “I’ve been here for 20 years. I still talk to some of my kids that I drove when they were in kindergarten, and now they have kids.”
A sentiment that both Nordmeyer and Mueller share.
“I’ve had this route for a long time, Mueller says. “I love my kids and their families. I’m driving kids whose parents I drove when they were kids.”
“I’ve only driven for Johnston City,” Nordmeyer adds. “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. I’m pretty partial to Johnston City. It’s my heart for sure.”