The week of Feb. 12-16 is North Carolinaâs School Bus Driver Appreciation Week, and each day one of our dedicated drivers will be introduced to the HCPS family.Â
Every weekday, Kerrie Gosnell starts bus #252 by 6:10 a.m., drives an hour and a half picking up Etowah Elementary students, and is back to school by 7:40 a.m. And many days, sheâs in the classroom with the same students who just rode her bus.
A substitute teacher and bus driver for the past seven years, Gosnell said that on days sheâs both driving and teaching, itâs a quick turnaround.
âI usually make a pit stop,â for a Mt. Dew or a coffee, she said.
And then sheâs going over math problems, working on guided reading, or fielding questions from elementary students â who are sometimes surprised to see their bus driver in their classroom.
âThe kids are surprised when youâre in different places,â Gosnell said, âThatâs always funny, to see their reactions.â
Gosnell said she loves being around students all day â which is part of why she began substitute teaching shortly after her youngest child was born. With a background in accounting, Gosnell wanted to get back into the workforce but appreciated the relatively open schedule of a substitute teaching position. She initially subbed at West Henderson High and Rugby Middle in addition to Etowah, but when she decided to add bus driving into the mix, she needed to be able to drive morning routes for the same school at which she’d be teaching.
So now Gosnell is the bus-driving substitute Etowah superstar.
âShe does a little bit of everything,â said 5th grade teacher Nicole Riddle. âTeacher assistant stuff, sub stuff, volunteer stuff, bus driver stuff.â
Riddle said Gosnell is a helpful peer to have across the hall when it comes to conceptualizing a project or a plan.
âIf I donât know something I ask Kerrie,â Riddle said. âAnd if she doesnât know the answer sheâs always willing to brainstorm an alternative. Sheâs a problem solver.â
â By Molly McGowan Gorsuch
Public Information Officer
