Most bus drivers sit in the bus and wait for the events to be over – but not Mike McPherson.
Known to most as “Mr. Mike,” McPherson has been driving buses for 8 years. He stays and watches almost every event he drives to.
“I enjoy watching the kids grow and become someone you would never expect them to be,” said McPherson. McPherson explained how he’s only missed one band invitation in seven years.
“If you see these kids on day one and see them at the last one, you don’t even think it’s the same band,” he said. “You’re not going to see it unless you watch them.”
Last year McPherson watched the Spring Lake Girls Varsity Soccer team make its historic postseason run to win the state championship. Some of his favorite memories of driving buses came from that season. McPherson said that whether the kids are out there in the snow or the rain, he’s out there with them.
“Not everybody can have their parents at the game,” he said. “If you can be that second parent to watch them, you have to do your best to encourage them and lift them up.” He explained how he sees the kids go through all types of emotions at once, and that it’s important for them to have someone to back them up.
Mr. Mike says that the joy and the smiles are what make his job worth it. Being a bus driver is hard work, and you have to keep your head on a swivel at all times. But he said it’s easy to put a smile on the kids’ faces. Whether they’re a kindergartener seeing him first thing in the morning or a losing team needing to be cheered up, he’ll be there.
McPherson is more than just a bus driver. He served in the U. S. Army for 13 years as a cook and a truck driver, transporting supplies. His great ability to encourage students today comes from being in the Army. McPherson said the Army’s unofficial motto is “hurry up and wait.” This is how he learned to be there for others. He encourages kids today to go to the service for a few years.
Most people don’t know that there’s more to bus driving than just transporting kids back and forth everyday. Bus drivers are teachers, too: they have to teach the kids to say please and thank you, keep their hands to themselves, speak at a nice volume, and be nice to each other. These all come into play in a classroom setting, McPherson said. If they start off on the bus they’ll bring those manners into the classroom.
To hone their skills and take pride in their abilities, bus drivers participate in an annual bus rodeo. Bus drivers go and compete against each other. There are typically eight or nine different schools competing. The top three that score the best on the different tests go on to states, and the top two go to nationals and compete for the national championship. While McPherson cheers on all of Spring Lake’s competitive teams, he is also a competitor. He recently placed in the top 10 — the first Spring Lake driver to do so.
