It's  6 a.In.dark and damp.The gentle mist makes it somewhat difficult to find school bus No.330 parked by the east fence, even with my flashlight. For so many times.it's occurred to me that I've found a strange way of easing into retirement --wheeling a school bus around the streets of Minnetonka,  _ elementary and middle-school kids to  and from school. Having spent the past 10 years before retirement as a family counselor, I figured that driving a school bus would give me a chance to reconnect with young people, and get me out of the house more ofen. Anyway, I'm learning a lot driving a school bus and I've learned a lot form my fellow drivers. If the kids are paying attention, they can learn it, too. The course is Life 101. The title is Self-Awareness and Self-Management. And the school bus drivers are, for a few minutes each morning and evening, teachers. These drivers are in fact people from different backgrounds, including retired folks-like a onetime corporate CEO,  a onetime lawyer, a former teacher, a former investment banker. Some are younger stay-at-home moms, displaced managers , and people throwing their shoulders into a challenging economy. If the kids are paying attention, they may learn important things form these drivers, like discipline, kindness, and courage.  How can kids know the discipline that it takes to rise every morning before sunrise,to travel to a cold garage and enter a large box of iron--checking it out from beginning to end----ensuring that it allows all the kids a safe ride? Do they recognize the challenge of being kind and respectful when one's financial  _ may be coming down? Do children really understand the courage it takes to get up when snow is piling high and drive a school bus,facing all ultimate fear----an injured child? While academics are vital, self--awareness, self--management and personal responsibility are life--changing. The author decided to become a school bus driver to   _  .
get connected with the young kids and stay active provide counseling service for the school kids avoid getting into financial trouble after retirement guarantee that he has well--paid stable job