For Robert Bradley, the students and staff at Fletcher Elementary are just extended family. He’s been driving a bus for the school since 2008, shortly after successfully completing treatment for stage three lung cancer.
Bradley, who’s had three of his five children pass through Fletcher Elementary, said, “I try to treat the kids like they were my own.”
“You get to ‘adopt’ all the kids and you get to know all their dogs and their pets,” Bradley said. On the morning route, he said, “They tell you about their night and if they had trouble with their homework.”
“It’s a fun job,” he said. “I’m sort of like a big uncle to everybody.”
That also means laying down some ground rules on the bus to maintain order and respect, Bradley said. His students know that if the bus is stopped and Bradley flips the lights on, he wants them to listen up.
“Kids are like everybody else,” he said. “You give them guidelines and they follow.”
Bradley also stays connected with the faculty and staff at Fletcher Elementary, since he’s a custodian at the school in between his morning and afternoon bus routes.
He said he tells new drivers, “You look at your teachers like the aunts around here and you take care of them. And you look at the kids like your nieces and nephews, and you’ll be in
While not an official part of his job description, Bradley also serves as the school’s unofficial animal wrangler. Whether it’s a squirrel, snake or large turtle, Bradley’s the one who catches and rehomes the critter. If the animal is interesting – and safe – he’ll take it to a kindergarten classroom show students.
“When they were learning shapes I lucked out and found a praying mantis, because their heads are shaped like a triangle,” he said.
Fletcher Principal Jennifer Shelton appreciates Bradley’s genuine interest in students’ lives and what they’re learning, as well as his work ethic.
“He is extremely dedicated to all the students at Fletcher, takes great pride in his work and can be counted on by parents and students to always be on time,” Shelton said. “He has a wonderful attitude and truly gets to know his students.”
(Written by Molly McGowan Gorsuch, HCPS Public Information Officer.)