Article March 31, 1997 Issue

The happiest school bus in Washington?

by Kim Shippey

If you happen to be driving along the Mox-Chehalis Road in the American state of Washington one sunny morning this spring, look for a golden school bus that seems to be dancing its way between the villages of McCleary and Malone. Listen closely and you'll hear the strains of Handel, Bach, and Mozart through the open windows while fifty or more students between the ages of five and eighteen listen quietly in their seats. More important, take time to wave your appreciation to the lady at the wheel, whose name is Music—and that's no joke. Janice Music is a mother, grandmother, and foster parent who considers her seventeen years as a bus driver in the Elma school district among the happiest she's known.

We talked with her one morning after she'd completed her first thirty-five-mile trip of the day.

"I don't want to be the children's best friend," said Mrs. Music. "I want to be the best bus driver they've ever had. I don't care if they like me or not. I want them to have respect for me as a bus driver—as a person that will take them to and from school safely. When they find out that I really do care about them, we'll get along great!"

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