Effective Discipline on the Bus



Effective Discipline on Our Buses

XYZ County Transportation…

The Best Driving the Best!

Driving a school bus is a hard job. The realization that you carry in your hands the lives of 72 children everyday is overwhelming to say the least. The responsibility of safe driving is compounded when you add the challenge of effective student discipline into the mix. Effective student discipline begins long before the first student boards the bus.

Some bus drivers, like teachers, just seem to have the “it” factor and kids seem to respond to them positively. Others struggle to gain control and sometimes the respect of kids on their bus. The “it” factor is nothing more than certain behaviors that convey a caring, professional approach to driving the bus. Those behaviors have been identified by XYZ County drivers and can be duplicated by anyone. Special thanks to the drivers who helped prepare this information. The following information is designed to help all drivers with the enormous task of maintaining effective student discipline on the bus.

1. Bus Management

|What It Is |What It’s Not |

|1. Establishing clear expectations from the first day. It is a |Assuming kids know the rules. All students should be reminded of |

|business-like approach where we communicate to kids “These are |driver expectations several times throughout the year. |

|the rules of this bus and they will be enforced.” | |

|Several drivers talked about how they practice good behavior with|When was the last time your students were reminded of your bus |

|their students. One elementary driver has them practice leaving |rules? |

|the bus with their finger over their lips as they exit the bus | |

|(“the quiet sign”) and walking in a straight line into the |Several drivers talked about reminding kids every week what is |

|building! |expected and why it is expected. |

|2. Looking at the faces of each student and greeting students |Sitting in the seat emotionless while students board the bus. |

|with a warm “Good morning” as they board the bus each morning. |Remember…You may be the first pleasant person they see each |

|Standing and greeting students as they board the bus at school. |morning and last one they see in the afternoon. |

|Both practices convey sincere interest and care for the kids. |Besides communicating care for the student, this practice can go |

|Just as importantly, it gives the driver a chance to observe the |a long way as a deterrent to possible problems on the bus later! |

|student as he/she boards the bus. This is important in | |

|identifying students who may be acting in a suspicious manner. |How is this a deterrent? |

|3. Effective use of your monitor (if you have one). Expect the |Allowing your monitor to sit near you so you can talk to an adult|

|monitor to abide by the same principles you do when it comes to |during the ride. |

|greeting and observing students. | |

| | |

|What It Is |What It’s Not |

|4. Avoiding “Mugability.” Mug-ability can be conveyed by: |What it is not is not being willing to learn as a driver. For |

|* Allowing a few to get by with breaking rules. This lets them |example, think about misbehavior that bothers you the most from |

|all know that your rules are negotiable. |your riders. Reflect on your own behavior that may actually allow|

|* Not being aware of your own behavior and what you communicate |or open the door for such behavior. Make the effort to watch a |

|to the kids inadvertently. |bus video from your bus and note your own behavior and things |

| |under your control that can be changed. |

|5. Being NICE summarizes all you need to know about effective bus|-Being aloof and uncaring. |

|management: | |

|N – Name – Know student’s names. One of the drivers from XYZ |-Letting them get away with misbehavior one day and yelling about|

|school told me the reason why they won the “Best Bus Award” this |it the next. |

|year was because they all greet students by their first names. | |

|I – Interest – Show an interest in them and in maintaining their |-Looking like you just rolled out-of-bed and sounding like you |

|personal dignity. One driver talked about attending honors day |need to be asleep. |

|and special programs his bus riders were in. | |

|C – Consistency – Be the same and maintain high expectations |-Remember that bus management is greatly impacted by your own |

|everyday. |appearance. As one driver put it, “How do you expect kids to |

|E – Effort – Make it. Simply put, what you look like, sound like,|listen to you if you look like dirt.” |

|and act like will determine your success. | |

| |Bottom line…Save some clothes for the woods, the hospital or the |

| |beach… but not the bus. |

Could be better Average Got it goin’ on!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Χ Thumb’s Up! What just spoke to you?

2. Positive Communication with Students

|What It Is |What It’s Not |

|1. Showing respect for all students in your: |Redirecting students by restating the rules instead of the “You |

|Tone of voice |better…” message. |

|Choice of words | |

|Follow-up after discipline | |

|One driver talked about his favorite approach with kids when one | |

|needed correction. He asks them to stay back and then tries to | |

|talk alone with the student. He begins with… “You and I can fix | |

|this problem or I can write you up. I’d rather work with you than| |

|write you up. Can you tell me what’s bothering you?” | |

|2. Greeting all students as they board your bus everyday. As one |Sitting in the driver’s seat like a lump of coal. |

|driver told me, “They don’t always respond to me at first…but | |

|eventually they will. I’ll keep doing it until they do!” | |

|3. Bus “Chemistry” - Realizing a bus load of kids can take on |Have you ever had this thought… |

|their own personality different than any one child. This |“This is the same bus route I had last year but this year these |

|personality can range from gang-like to angelic – both are |kids act much differently than they did last year.” Realize that |

|impacted by the driver’s attitude toward them. |kids change and new leaders appear on the bus. This can impact |

| |bus chemistry and will require different strategies for the |

| |driver. |

|4. The emphasis on showing respect toward students cannot be |Yelling to the back of the bus… |

|overemphasized. Confronting a student in front of his peers is a | |

|no win situation for any driver. In an effort to “save face” the |“Billy Bob, you better shut-up or I’ll write you up!” |

|student will likely respond to the confrontation in an | |

|inappropriate manner. The situation is likely to escalate into a |“Just keep on talking and see what happens.” |

|scenario that is bad for everyone involved. Further, friends will| |

|likely side with the embarrassed student and the potential for a | |

|bus-wide power struggle is created. | |

|5. Connecting to your students. |Missing a chance to connect to one student who needed to know you|

|Several drivers of older students talked about taking time to |cared. You start their day. |

|talk to their kids about their interests every chance they got |How do you want them to remember you when they think of you |

|while waiting for others to board the bus, waiting for all to |during the day? |

|exit, etc… | |

|6. Picking your battles. |Kids will be kids and could probably be caught being kids once |

|Several drivers spoke of how important it was for them to address|every five minutes. While safety infractions cannot be ignored, |

|behavior alone with students away from their peers. If they saw |knowing when and how to address misbehavior separates the best |

|an infraction that was not life threatening on the afternoon |from the rest! |

|route they would wait until the morning route and ask the student| |

|to stay back so they could talk after the other students had | |

|exited the bus. | |

Could be better Average Got it goin’ on!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Χ Thumb’s Up! What just spoke to you?

3. Knowing Kids

|What It Is |What It’s Not |

|1. Knowing that kids at any age will act goofy. That’s why they |Taking misbehavior personally. |

|are called kids. We cannot take it personally when they misbehave|Becoming “Mr. Drill Instructor” to manage the bus. You cannot |

|on the bus. They will challenge you at some point. Know that and |out-yell 72 kids. |

|know how you will handle it. | |

|2. Elementary students learn in concrete terms. Abstract terms |Telling them to behave. |

|like “diligence” will mean little to them. They respond to |Be specific and refer back to the rule. |

|outward praise and can be motivated by tangible items such as |“Billy Bob – stop turning around in your seat. Remember the rule |

|stickers and “1 cent certificates.” |about facing the front.” |

|3. Middle school students often have very fragile self-esteem. |WARNING: Praising them and correcting them by name in front of |

|This may be conveyed several ways: |their peers is often counter-productive. |

|Mr. Cool |Try redirection or group correction. |

|Mrs. Hide me from everyone | |

|Mr. Don’t draw attention to me | |

|4. High School Students – Complete this sentence from a high |Answering their questions with… |

|school student… “That’s not _________.” High school students are |“Because I said so.” |

|emotional beings by design and need to know the “why” behind what|That may have worked for mama, but it does not fly with our |

|we do. |teens! |

| |We will discuss suggestions in the next section. |

|5. While kids will act goofy, they still need direction and |Being their buddy. Being the guy who lets them eat and drink on |

|someone who will correct them when they need it. Ignoring some |the bus and act unruly without correction hurts you and it hurts |

|minor issues may allow it to go away. Ignoring constant |other drivers who expect more from their students. |

|misbehavior that threatens the safety of others will cost you the| |

|respect of kids, their parents, and your job. Most importantly, | |

|it could cost you in the court of public opinion and the court of| |

|law (See Court of Appeals of Georgia v. McDowell – July 15, 2008 | |

|as it applies to sovereign immunity). | |

|6. Respect is a learned behavior. |Simply put…Model for kids what you would want modeled for your |

|Several of our drivers pointed out that many of our kids come |own kids. |

|from environments where respect is not shown or may not be | |

|valued. The first example they see everyday of what respect looks| |

|like is YOU! | |

Could be better Average Got it goin’ on!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Χ Thumb’s Up! What just spoke to you?

4. Low Profile Intervention

|What It Is |What It’s Not |

|1. Using what you know about kids and effective communication to |Embarrassing students in front of their peers. |

|determine how to correct misbehavior without embarrassing them or|Tone of voice or choice of words that are demeaning. |

|drawing undue attention to them. |Backing students into a corner with our own behavior where they |

|Remembering that kids will act impulsively and they, by design, |have no choice but to save face in front or their peers by |

|are emotional beings. That emphasis on emotions can actually |responding or challenging the driver. |

|hinder their ability to think through behavior to realize | |

|consequences. | |

|2. Elementary – |Ruling by fear or intimidation. |

|Assigned seats | |

|Informing parents | |

|Praising correct behavior of others | |

|Tangible rewards | |

|3. Middle school – |Correcting a student by name in the front of other students. |

|Assigned seats by sex |Responding to them inappropriately if they “smart off.” Learn to |

|Correcting away from peers |count to ten and remind yourself of what you know learned about |

|Addressing the group for correction rather than single students |kids. |

|Redirecting misbehavior creatively Example - asking a student to | |

|make sure the window is secured who is being loud. | |

|4. High school – |Issuing threats – |

|Explain the “why” | |

|-“Stopping the bus makes us all late.” |“I’m gonna put you off this bus.” |

|-For older kids one driver took a graphic approach. “Watching you| |

|takes my eyes off of the road and we could wreck. A dead friend |“Go ahead and see what I’ll do.” |

|could be your fault.” | |

|-“You could end up being put off of the bus and you nor I want |“You better watch yourself.” |

|the hassle.” | |

|Use of logical consequences |“Go ahead and tell yo mama.” |

|-“You’ve violated safety rules that I have to report.” | |

|-“I hope you make a better decision next time someone messes with| |

|you.” | |

|-“What could you have done differently?” | |

|Assigned seats discretely | |

|Meet with the student at school. Most schools would welcome your | |

|interest in the student. A conversation like the one below can go| |

|a long way: | |

|“You acted out on the bus today. I don’t want to look bad in | |

|front of everyone and neither do you. It means I have to write | |

|you up to let other students know they cannot get away with | |

|similar behavior. Then we wind up hassling each other. There are | |

|much better ways to spend our time today. I need you to stop that| |

|behavior for both of us.” | |

Could be better Average Got it goin’ on!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Χ Thumb’s Up! What just spoke to you?

5. Professional Behavior

|What It Is |What It’s Not |

|1. Professional appearance – A professional appearance impacts |Wearing daisy Dukes and a halter top. |

|the perception the students have of the driver. It also impacts | |

|the perception kids pass along to parents. This can have |Wearing pajamas. |

|significant impact on the support you get from parents if the | |

|child misbehaves or is put off of the bus. |Wearing a T-shirt with last week’s spaghetti proudly displayed on|

| |the front. |

|2. Professional behavior. This will include regular attendance, |Running the route late because you overslept or forgot to get |

|being on time, and maintaining a clean bus. |fuel the day before! |

|Remember what being just five minutes late does to the student: | |

|Elementary – misses breakfast and enters the classroom unprepared|Remember the impact being late has on a student who arrives late |

|to learn. |to school! |

|Middle school – Misses breakfast and walks in late and | |

|embarrassed – cannot learn that period. | |

|High school – Misses breakfast and walks in late after attendance| |

|has been taken. That absentee may not be changed and could be the| |

|one absentee that costs him/her a credit needed for graduation! | |

|3. Remembering that YOU are the adult on the bus. Don’t make the |Leaving the “big stick” at home and not taking it on the bus. |

|situation worse when confrontation does occur. Students can also |Using a conversational volume reduces wear and tear on your |

|have a bad day and our best efforts may still result in an |throat and reaffirms you as leader on the bus. Leaving the stick |

|unexpected confrontation. |at home means leaving certain behaviors completely off of your |

| |bus such as yelling, embarrassing or grabbing students. |

|4. Schools have a school culture. It can be a caring and warm |The bus that pulls out of the parking lot everyday with kids |

|environment, or can be a cold and sterile environment. You can |hanging out of the windows and flashing gang signs to their |

|feel it when you walk in the door. Your bus is no different. Your|friends. |

|“bus culture” will exist whether you want it to or not. The | |

|question is whether you will be the one who establishes it or | |

|not, and what that culture will be! | |

|5. Professional radio protocol. |-Yelling on the radio… “Somebody better come get these children –|

|Being a professional dispatcher or bus driver means acting that |they’re all crazy.” |

|way on the radio as well. Remember that parents are often on the |-Making comments about students or groups of students on the |

|phone when you are answering dispatch. They, and others, can hear|radio. |

|what you say. Use established protocol like “98-97 clear” and a |-Having any personal conversation over the radio |

|lot of patience when talking with dispatch. They can only handle | |

|one call at a time. Remember to use your emergency button in the | |

|event of a real emergency. | |

|6. Respect your job! |One driver who worked on this project turns 70 in April. He could|

|Probably the best advice we heard from drivers was the need for |retire today but does this job for the kids. |

|everyone to respect their job. “You are not just a driver” was |You are not “just” anything. |

|the recurring theme. “Most of us care and don’t want to hear your|Make a difference in the lives of the kids and the people you |

|belly-aching!” |work with! |

|Do I hear a witness? | |

Could be better Average Got it goin’ on!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Χ Thumb’s Up! What just spoke to you?

What do you do if you are here today and you feel like you have lost control of your bus? We put this question to our team of drivers and here is what they suggested…

1. Know that this job is very difficult and there are many people who have felt the same way. Don’t give up. The problem can be fixed!

2. Seek the advice of fellow-drivers who have been driving a while. They can provide ideas and lend assistance. Ask us for a suggestion of who to talk to.

3. Ask a lead driver to pull a hard drive and watch it with you. You will see things you can do differently and can get the help of people who have driven for years.

4. Be willing to change. Your own behavior may be contributing to the problem. An honest attempt to change your behavior and the kids’ behavior is important!

5. Remember that the kids need to see you as the authority on the bus. Asking for lead drivers to speak to kids may help for a while, but the kids need to see you as the final authority on the bus for lasting results.

6. Establish a clean start with the kids and tell them so. Remind them of expectations weekly and the “why” behind them.

7. Give the kids and yourself a fresh start every day. Don’t hold grudges with kids or harbor disappointment with yourself.

8. Connect to the kids. Win one at a time.

9. Identify the “ring leader” and connect to him/her.

10. Be careful who feeds your soul. Hang around people who will provide insight and encouragement. The drivers on this team put it best. “The drivers I talk to who have the most problems are those doing it for the insurance and not the kids. “I wouldn’t spend my money on them and can’t wait until I get them home.”

Final thoughts from the Transportation Leadership Team…

1. When do I call a lead driver for help and when do I write the child up?

Write the child up when he/she needs discipline consequences.

Contact the lead driver when you need advice.

2. Be patient with school administrators after submitting a referral.

School administrators have many other duties during the day and may not get to your referral immediately.

3. What can I do to maximize support from school administrators?

A. Realize you can attract more with honey than vinegar.

B. Deal with the small issues yourself rather than writing up every child for the smallest of infractions.

C. Redirect kids you see who are starting to become a problem during the route:

“Billy, come up here and help me find 196 Waugh Road.”

“Susie, come up here and read the route sheet to me.”

D. One great suggestion came from a veteran driver. “I’ll go in the school and tell the principal what is going on and ask her if she would mind talking to the child for me before I have to write him up. That usually takes care of the problem.”

4. Remember that your updated route sheets help sub drivers. If a sub driver makes a wrong turn with a bus full of teens he can become the source of verbal abuse from those on the bus. This abuse could have been avoided with an accurate route sheet.

5. One driver had a problem with a middle school child dancing in her seat during the route. At the end of the route she had the student stay on the bus and sit in the driver’s seat. The driver sat in the student’s seat and showed her what she looked like. The demonstration was followed by one question… “If I am trying to drive and keep seeing you dance like that what could happen?” The student realized how her behavior could cause a wreck and the behavior stopped.

The Troup County School System Transportation Department…

The Best Driving The Best!

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