Underground Good: Doug Saephanh

Ed Note: This Opinion piece is part of our Underground Good series, which focuses on providing a window into the mindsets of ordinary people doing good work in their community. It’s written by sociologist, coach and consultant Sharon Brisolara. You can find the rest of our Underground Good series here. Want to nominate someone? You can do that here.

Doug Saephanh is a man who gives every indication that he is in love with what he does. And what he does is indeed important: providing transportation for young people who have disabilities requiring additional care. In this interview Doug tells us how he thinks about his role and what he has come to understand, and love, about the youth in his care. 

Can you share the story of how you became a bus driver?

Starting out, I had no idea I was going to be a school bus driver. It was one of those midlife questions: ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ I was browsing for jobs and I came across an ad for a school bus driver. I thought, I have a really good driving record. I like to drive. I love kids. I have three of my own! So I thought I’d give it a shot and see what happens.

I went to the interview, and they said I was a good fit. That was six years ago.

I was 33 at the time and I’m turning 40 this year. Taking this job has been one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve always wanted to do something in the educational field. Personally, I hated school. I had some sort of ADD or something and could not stand going to school. I went to college for a couple years, but I just couldn’t get into the field I wanted, so I thought I’d stay in sales, because I had done that for a long time. 

Now I love what I do. I understand how kids are. And the job is more rewarding than anything I’ve done.

How has having the experience of not liking school helped you as a school bus driver?

Actually, I liked school, I just didn’t like the learning process because I learned differently than a lot of students. When it comes to my students, my job is to make sure they’re okay and calm. Most of the kids I drive are young and I mainly drive special needs students, kids with disabilities. As bus drivers, we are trained to recognize those disabilities and we learn how to make sure kids with special needs are okay on the bus.

It never dawned on me that I would be a person that would be taking care of these kids. Some of them ride for two, three hours and during that time they go through all sorts of emotions. I still remember when I was riding a school bus. I never thought about all the feelings I would go through and the bus driver having to deal with me. Now I am the bus driver!

As a driver, you might have screaming kids. When that happens, you have to stop the bus and go see what’s going on. When I am driving, I know I have to take care of these kids and find a way for them to understand me. Every student has a different way of learning and teachers adjust to each student to help them learn. And I feel like that’s what I have to do too.

It sounds like you are saying that when kids have all of those emotions, it’s also really hard for them to learn.

Yes. When I was young, I was spacing out all the time in class. It’s like that with some kids on the bus. They’re just kids. They don’t always know what’s going on. That’s the understanding that I keep in mind for the kids that ride the bus with me. I kind of know what they need now.

How old are the students on your bus and what percentage are kids with special needs?

Right now, they go all the way up to high school. We drive all the special needs students and drop them off at different schools. My preschoolers right now are in Sycamore and I have elementary students that go to Happy Valley. On Fridays, I drive special needs students for Enterprise.

When I first started, I drove for West Valley High School for two years. I was kind of scared, at first, to drive special needs students, because I thought I wouldn’t know how to handle outbursts or know what to do if they freaked out or had seizures. After a couple years, I thought, this is my profession. I gotta do this. So I started driving a route for kids with special needs, and I figured out that they’re just normal kids.

I have been driving little preschoolers all the way up to high schoolers for the last four years, all with special disabilities. You get to know them, and they get to know you. It’s so crazy and hella rewarding. That’s all I’m saying. I love it.

What’s most rewarding for you?

Gosh. . . every morning when they see you, they’re either smiling or they’re running to their seat. They’re like, “buckle me in!” They know who I am and every year I see them grow because I try to drive the same route each year. It’s like watching my kids grow. They say things like, “That’s my bus driver” and call me Mr. Doug. The rewarding part is that they love you and you love them back. Every morning you see their smile and it makes you smile. No matter how early I have to wake up, when I see them happy, I’m happy.

What else have you learned through your training and the experience about yourself or others?

There are so many emotional feelings. Some of these kids have disabilities that they can’t control. I call them behavioral disabilities. They’ll start yelling and screaming, punching, hitting, and they don’t comprehend what you are telling them. You have to find a way to calm them down. I’ve learned to be calm, be gentle with them, and find out what’s going on, instead of making things worse.

I drove a route last year with kids and it felt like they were out of control. But by the end of the year, I could see it was what their brains were telling them. It wasn’t that they were trying to irritate me. They can’t control what’s going on inside their heads.

I’ve also learned that not everyone is going to be the same. And I’ve learned throughout the years that every route is different. Every kid is different. Even some kids who don’t have documented disabilities can’t sit still. They want to move to different seats all the time. You always have to adapt to the situation.

What helps you to keep calm in those situations?

I’ve learned to be calm in all kinds of situations from seeing car accidents to hearing loud noises.

When I started driving, kids might be yapping away or yelling, but still be sitting. I started to think, if it’s not a bother to the other kids, I’m going to let them do it. It doesn’t bother me and I’ve been able to just tone it down in my head. I just concentrate on driving. I focus on the road and getting them to school safely.

What is important for people to know about bus drivers?

Sometimes people see posts on social media about a driving decision a bus driver made. Don’t believe everything you see online. Get to know a bus driver. We’re all trained professionals. We’re genuine people, otherwise we wouldn’t be driving kids. We go through background checks and training. We’re good people, doing the best we can, and working to keep kids safe and help them. Our main priority is the kids.

How do you think about your role as a bus driver?

I feel like I’m a teacher on the bus. I feel like I have to teach kids to do the right stuff all the time, For example, I have this student on the bus who always takes her seat belt off. I’ll say, “Come on. You know, you can’t do that. . . . you need to buckle up. If you don’t buckle up, I’m not going anywhere.” Or, I might have to say, “Okay, you need to stop screaming, buddy, because you’re making my head hurt.” We’re always teaching, and we’re always making sure that the ride is safe. I feel like I’m just a teacher that’s in charge of driving.

Whether or not kids have special needs, bus drivers often drive youth who have difficult or unstable home lives. What is needed to help those kids feel safe and included, both on the bus and once they get to school?

For me, it’s always smiling and making sure they’re okay. Making sure that they know that they’re going to have a safe ride. Reassuring them that it’s going to be okay. I think that’s why these kids understand me and know what I need from them. I guess they trust me, too.

What do you think is important for people to understand about the importance of serving and including a diverse group of kids?

 I think we need more exposure so that people see these kids as regular kids. They just have disabilities. When schools bring them to visit local businesses, that can also help. They buy teddy bears, walk around the store, and tell me, “Look at what I bought!” The more people see that they are just kids, the more they’ll be accepted.

Is there anything that surprised you about being a bus driver?

Oh, man. . . everything. When I first started driving, I did not think I was going to last this long. Now I think I’m going to retire from this job. It’s not for everybody. We wake up early, we have to be focused. We have to make sure our kids are good and that everything is rolling. I’ve learned to adapt and figure out what I need to do.

Another thing that is surprising is my skills interacting with these kids. I did not think that I was going to be this good at it. I had no idea. Now I think I would have been a great PE teacher, which is what I originally wanted to do but couldn’t finish my schooling. This is my chance to be a teacher. I’m so surprised that I can actually educate kids to a certain extent. Everyone has a future ahead of them, even when they don’t know what it is. And I feel like this was mine.

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