SCISD bus drivers attend yoga seminar

By Tracy Farr
Editor, The Daily Spittoon

The Stinky Creek Independent School District sent their entire bus driving staff to a Yoga seminar Friday in the hopes of helping their drivers battle the stresses of their job.

"Being an air traffic controller and driving a school bus are probably the two most nerve-wracking jobs on this planet," SCISD Superintendent Marcus Spilling said.  "That's why we think it is important for us to give our drivers the tools they need to combat stress in a chaotic environment."

While teachers and staff attended a teacher inservice day, the bus drivers met in the school gym and learned about the "cleansing nature of Yoga" presented by Sally Yeitz.

"Since driving a bus is all about circles and repetition, we started off with sitting in a circle to promote roundness which is the first part of cleansing the mind," Yeitz said.  "Next, we talked about techniques to breathe out anxiety and inhale goodness which is especially useful in a dusty and smelly school bus.  We even had time to talk about feelings and emotions, which I found out is hard for a bus driver to do.

"Yoga is a lifelong quest that is hard to condense into a day workshop," Yeitz added, "but the drivers were very receptive -- for the most part.  They did have some qualms about holding hands, but I'm sure with another session or two they would learn to overcome it."

Not all the drivers were convinced the Yoga session was helpful.

"It was a bunch of hogwash, and that Yeitz lady was a hippy quack," said one bus driver who asked to remain anonymous.  "If the school district really wants to give us the tools to handle stress, they'll let us kick off those troublemakers and never let them ride the bus again.  Better yet, the school district should make the parents of them troublemakers ride the bus and keep an eye on their little hoodlums.  Better yet, make them parents DRIVE the bus for a route or two and give us the day off.  Let me stay home and watch Gunsmoke in my easy chair for a couple of afternoons -- that will make my stress disappear.  Yessiree!"