• Job: School bus driver, Gwinnett County

Photos by KARL W. RITZLER/Special (ENLARGE)

Casey Martin demonstrates how she can keep an eye on the 'little angels' who ride her bus to school every day in Gwinnett County.

(ENLARGE)

• What I do: Casey Martin loves what many consider a thankless, stressful job: school bus driver.

"We're school bus managers, not bus drivers," she corrected, noting that she is responsible for a lot more than just driving the bus.

It starts with a morning walk around the bus each day, checking under the hood as well as the fluids and tires — "making sure it's up to par to take these little angels to school," said Martin, 26, the mother of three passengers on her bus.

Once behind the wheel, "you have to constantly watch your mirrors," she said. "Kids are small."

From the driver's seat, Martin said she has only a few, small blind spots.

"In the bus, the driver can see just about everything," she said. The view is so good in the front, she said, that she can pull within an inch of another vehicle without hitting it.

She keeps track of each child as he or she crosses the road, all the way to the door of his or her home.

"You are responsible for all of those kids until they walk in their door," Martin said.

She has to keep a close count and continually looks in the mirror to make sure there's no touching, poking or other misbehaving among the students on the bus.

If there is a problem, Martin speaks to the child first. Sometimes, just a stern look will straighten them out, especially little ones in elementary school.

If that doesn't correct misbehavior, she'll speak to the child's parents or, as a last resort, report him or her to the school.

"I know most of the parents on my route," she said.

She said she's had very few problems. "I've been lucky."

At school and at the end of the day, Martin walks through the bus to make sure there are no sleeping children "and to pick up everything they left behind."

It's mostly coats, she said, but, "if they leave a book bag on the bus, I get a call."

She picks up children and delivers them to Riverside and Sugar Hill elementary schools and Lanier Middle School starting at about

7 a.m. Her morning rounds are done by about 9:30, and she's back on the road from about 2 to 4:45 p.m. for the return trips.

She doesn't stop at every house — usually about every tenth of a mile in a subdivision.

Martin recently was named one of the top five drivers in the county system, which has about 1,500 drivers.

• What got me interested in this: Martin left a job in a medical office in Atlanta to spend more time with her children, "but I got a little bored."

She said she wanted something to do, but not with full-time hours. "I fell in love" with the job, she said.

Now, she works when her children are in school. "It's perfect mom hours," she said.

• Best part of my job: "The kids," Martin said without a moment's hesitation. "Parents trust me with the most important things in their lives."

• Most challenging part: "Being on your toes all the time," Martin said.

And it's not just keeping track of the children.

"Other cars don't like to be behind a school bus," she said. "You're constantly watching your children and cars coming at you and beside you."

• What people don't know about my job: "That it's an enjoyable job," she said.

When teachers tell her they don't know how she manages her bus, Martin tells them: "I've got [the children] for 30 minutes. You've got them all day."

• What keeps me going: "When a little kid gives you a hug and says, 'I love you,' " Martin said.

• Preparation needed for this job: "You definitely have to like kids," Martin said. In addition, you need an outgoing personality and the ability to interact with people.

To drive a school bus in Georgia, a person needs a commercial driver's license with endorsements to carry passengers and to operate a school bus.

Gwinnett County provides training for prospective drivers, and the state Department of Driver Services administers the driving tests and issues the licenses.

"I went to a school bus from driving a Volkswagen Beetle," Martin said. "Now I can parallel-park my bus, but I couldn't parallel-park my Beetle."

In addition, a bus driver needs to have a clean driving record, can't be a felon, can't use drugs or drink on the job, and must pass extensive state and federal background checks. Drivers also must keep up-to-date certifications in first aid and CPR.

In addition to being a bus driver, Martin works in a children's hair salon on weekends and has a degree in cosmetology from the Georgia Institute of Cosmetology.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.