When Peach Creek Elementary (PCE) School’s third grade teacher Taylor Serrata was perusing through Twitter, she saw a tweet from Principal Keith Peters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Peters challenged other principals and school leaders to join the “Ride the Bus” challenge.
Not one to back away from a challenge, Serrata retweeted the post and tagged PCE Principal Duana Brashear.
“She [Principal Brashear] encouraged me to send it out to the staff. I sent out a sheet and teachers took initiative and signed up,” said Serrata.
Last Wednesday, Sept. 5, PCE’s fifth grade teacher Harold Newhouse and third grade teacher Ginger Dykstra kicked off the challenge by riding a school bus. On Thursday, Serrata and fourth grade teacher Donna Brock kept the challenge going by riding the buses, too. The teachers expressed what the challenge has meant to them.
Harold Newhouse said, “Just to see the joy it brings and the smiles on their faces make that little extra hour worth every bit of it. Our kids really need teachers who care enough about them to go that extra mile to make sure that they have a great day from not just the beginning to the end at school, but all the way home. It made each kid’s day when I got off at each stop before them and waited for them to get off. I gave them a hug or high five and told them I hope you have a wonderful day. Were my legs burning at the end of the day? Yes! But it was all worth it with every smile I got from the students and their parents. I will be doing many more days because our kids deserve to have someone that cares about them.”
Others have taken up the challenge, Serrata says.
“We have teachers riding buses this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And, we are challenging other teachers. We are offering it to all campus staff and taking care of their duties if they choose to ride. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “Teachers love it, parents love it, and I think the bus drivers appreciate it too! I had kids all day last Thursday telling me how excited they were that I was riding their bus. The kids love it!”
