LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some of my best school memories are of rides on the bus. I've written about some of those bus rides. I remember the drivers. I remember where I sat.
But this column is not about my memories, nor is it for the adults who may generally read my sports writing. It's not even about the many people who are upset over what happened with the JCPS transportation fiasco this past Wednesday.
This is for any students, no matter what your age, who were on those buses. I know you have time to read it, because you're not in school!
I'd like to ask you to do something. Yes, it's homework. Sorry. The good news is there are no grades. You can't get the answers wrong.
I would encourage you to take some time today to remember the first day of school this year and the bus ride you had. I'd like to ask you to write about it. Or talk about it and record it on your phone, or even make a video. Get a parent or friend to interview you, if you'd like.
Talk about what happened on your bus rides. Talk about what you did and what you saw and heard. Talk about how you felt.
Were you frustrated, or tired, hungry or even scared? Did you make new friends? Did you see places you'd never been? Did you get to stay up late once you got home?Â
Whatever you experienced, express it in some way, then hang onto it.
Those of us at news stations tell the stories of many events and people. We talk about something like what happened on Wednesday with the buses in terms of where the adults got it wrong, and how your parents felt and what they are saying.
But no story is more important than the one you can tell. Your voice matters, and your stories are powerful things.
Someday, you may be asked to recall an unusual or challenging or educational experience you've had. While Wednesday’s bus problems were frustrating, they also gave you the gift of a story to tell. Some of you may want to write essays to apply to colleges, and now you have a ready-made topic. Telling your story now will help you to remember it.
The main point here is to remember that not all learning happens in classrooms. Sometimes the most memorable lessons come when things go wrong. Nobody likes experiencing those things. But when we have to, there is value in remembering how we felt, and what we learned.
You have a voice. You may not feel it is important, or special, or worth sharing. It is. There are even times, like this one, where your voice might be the most important one of all.
When you tell your story to someone, a parent, a friend, a teacher, to everyone, it has power. You have power. If you don't have anyone to tell your story to, tell it to me (ecrawford@wdrb.com).
But tell it. And keep telling it. In your way, and in your words.
Your stories have great value. And so do you.
Class dismissed.
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