Finding Fred: One-hundred-and-eighty days of patience
January 2019
One hundred and eighty days of patience wasn’t included in the job description when 64-year-old TCAPS employee, Freddie Cook applied for the position of bus driver 17 years ago as of January 2019.
“I think that’s what kids don’t often understand, is that some days, I’m not feeling it,” Cook said, who, over the course of his 8-hour work day, drives almost 100 miles across Grand Traverse County to transport students safely between school and home. “But, I certainly wasn’t a perfect kid, so how could I expect them to be anything else?”
For the duration of his 17 years as a TCAPS employee, Cook has been one of the most well-loved bus drivers. He has been known for his listening ear amongst students at East Middle School, West Senior High School, West Middle School, Blair Elementary, and Silver Lake Elementary.
“He really cares,” senior Nakiah Kage said. “Most bus drivers don’t, but he does. Kage, like many other students, remembers his friendly greetings, especially on Candy Wednesdays as he drove them over the years. “In 6th grade, whenever it was someone’s birthday, he brought in brownies, and he still does today.”
Cook has spent a portion of his weekly earnings on spoiling his student passengers, which earns him some respect and high-fives as kids board his bus.
“Friday is suckers and Wednesday is kind of the Halloween-y mix of candy,” Cook said.
Cook’s approachability doesn’t only come from his candy-giving habits, however. He also enjoys blasting the music on his bus and he tries to make a personal connection with each student as they board his bus.
“Old school rock and old school disco are what I listen to,” he said. “Kids are like ‘Fred what are you doing?’ And I’m like ‘I don’t know about you, but I’ve got rhythm,’ and that allows kids to see me as another human being and to feel a little more comfortable sharing anything they need to share.”
For Cook, good first impressions are vital in instilling a non-judgmental atmosphere. He feels a responsibility to not only make kids feel safe and happy but also to ensure their first experience with someone who is different is a positive one.
“I’m threatening because I’m tall and I’m black,” Cook said. “For some of them, it’s the first interaction with a black person that they’ll have so I want it to be positive. I don’t know what kind of things their parents are saying to them.”
Cook’s compassion for his bus riders can be attributed to his own experiences as a child. Deep down, he knows what it is like to want to fit in, and this is why he works so hard to be relatable to the students he meets each day.
“In my childhood, I didn’t like who I was,” he said. “I wanted to be something else. I wanted to fit in. And now as an adult, I still don’t fit in because I like to act pretty immature, but I’m okay with that.”
On Cook’s bus routes, his bus is transformed into a safe place of sharing, where kids can shine and stand out.
“In the afternoon I allow some of my shy kids to come up to the mic and sing,” said Cook. “I’ve even had kids who play instruments come up and play.”
While he transports students of all ages, Cook relates most with the middle school age group, and this is where he feels he can make the biggest difference in students’ lives.
“Between sixth and ninth grade you go through such a big change,” he said. “You go through growing up and puberty. It’s ridiculous, but I get these kids.”
Because of his ability to relate to the students, Cook can bond with them over common interests. One of his favorites is sports; he has been playing basketball since high school and hasn’t stopped. Every Thursday night, he plays in pickup games at Northwestern Michigan College. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, Cook played both football and basketball, along with his job as a paperboy, which inspired the work ethic that still drives him today.
“I had a paper route from seventh grade all the way through the day I started college,” he said. “I had to get up at 5 am every morning to deliver papers.” This schedule prepared him for his 4:30 a.m. wake-up call as a bus driver.
Cook also works as a custodian during the day in order to qualify for insurance, and between before and after-school drop-offs, he travels between schools in the district to make repairs.
Driving a bus wasn’t Cook’s dream when he was a student himself.
“I wanted to pursue becoming a doctor and then my daughter came,” he said. “It became more important for me to be a good dad. I wasn’t gonna be an absentee dad. Life happens, so you adjust.” Part of his paycheck goes to supporting his daughter, who is in college and raising her own son. Besides fostering a good relationship with his family, Cook also centers his efforts around building a relationship with the students on his bus. He sees kids for who they are and tries to connect with each one.
“All of them are good, but sometimes you have to dig a little to get to that goodness,” he said. “I think if I’m non-judgemental toward the kids, they are able to come to me with their problems.”
In order for his students to foster open-mindedness, Cook urges them to explore the world around them.
“I want my students to leave Traverse City and go out and experience things,” he said. “Traverse City is just a small microcosm of the world. It’s very easy to get stuck thinking small-mindedly.”
Cook believes that he has been placed in a fulfilling career.
“I like being able to watch them grow and in some small way have an influence on their lives.”
