School Bus Driver Training

1
School Bus Driver Training

• Unit B
• Student Management and Discipline

2
Objectives

• At the end of this session school bus operators
  will be able to
• Describe local policy for appropriate student
  behavior on the bus
• Demonstrate essential components of effective
  driver-student interaction
• Describe local policy on serious discipline
  problems
• Recognize typical behavior patterns for students
  in different age groups
• Demonstrate basic concepts of Assertive Discipline

3
Introduction

• School bus drivers are in the people business
• Student behavior is a safety issue
• School bus drivers are responsible for safety
• The school principal is ultimately responsible
  for discipline

4
School Bus Driver Responsibilities

• School Bus Driver Training Manual contains a list
  of responsibilities
• Drivers responsibilities fit into several
  categories
• Employer (procedures)
• School district (procedures, regulations)
• People (students, parents, school personnel)
• Bus (neat, clean, obvious mechanical issues)
• Self (attitude, positive image, preparedness)

5
Characteristics of the Successful Bus Driver

• Confident and effective
• Creates a positive environment for students
• Has clear rules for students to follow
• Uses good driving skills
• Knows and follows the route
• Provides good customer service
• Takes pride in personal appearance
• Keeps a clean bus
• Knows what makes him/her angry and remaining calm
  when buttons are pushed
• Does not take student comments personally

6
Some Inappropriate Driver Behaviors

• Being confrontational
• Being sarcastic
• Arguing
• Yelling
• Using brakes to manage students

7
Student Responsibilities

• Poor student behavior can distract drivers
• Clear rules must be established by the driver and
  followed by the students
• Students and parents must understand that rules
  contribute to the safety of the bus
• Students and parents must understand that
  breaking rules brings consequences

8
Expectations for students

• Following all district, school, and bus rules
• Taking responsibility for their actions
• Being respectful of other students rights
• Being on time at bus stop locations
• Following all safety procedures at the bus stop
• Following all safety procedures on the bus
• Responding immediately and appropriately to bus
  driver instructions

9
Some Inappropriate Student Behaviors

• Excessive noise
• Portions of bodies out windows
• Moving about while the bus is in motion
• Throwing objects around inside the bus
• Throwing objects outside the bus
• Crowding and shoving
• Pushing, tripping, kicking

10
Some Inappropriate Student Behaviors

• Refusing to share a seat
• Grabbing the property of others
• Vulgar language
• Name calling
• Bullying and harassment
• Hitting, fighting

11
Driver-Student Interactions

• General guidelines for interacting with students
• Remember that Bus drivers have CLASS
• C-L-A-S-S A student management memory aid

12
A Student Management Memory Aid

• CLASS
• C Consistent
• L Limits
• A Attitude
• S Share
• S - Support

13
What a Driver Can Do to Manage Student Behavior

• Learn the names of your students
• Greet students
• Use different voice levels
• Be conscious of body language
• Be conscious of eye language
• Give positive feedback
• Be polite
• Give mature commands

14
Successful Techniques of Discipline

• My job/your job explanation
• Teach your students the rules
• Explain the consequences of misbehaving
• Give warnings and keep documentation
• Match the consequence to the behavior and be
  consistent in both discipline and follow through
• Give positive rewards for good behavior

15
Teaching the Rules on Your Bus

• Students may need to practice something 24 times
  or more before they reach 80 competency on a
  skill (Marzano, 1991, Classroom Instruction that
  Works)

Automaticity Mastery
No skill
16
Suggestions for Bus Rules

• Observable and measurable behavior
• Positively stated
• No more than 3-5 rules

With thanks to Sprick Colvin (1992)
17
Applying Discipline on the School Bus

• Make initial contact by noticing
• I noticed you did a great job keeping your hands
  to yourself today. Keep up the good work!
• I noticed you were pushing Jennifer
• I noticed you were keeping to yourself today and
  looked really unhappy

18
Ask Open-ended Questions

• Whats the problem? (The student must explain)
• Whats the consequence for spitting on other
  people? (The student must give an example of the
  consequence)

19
Quick, Unthreatening Interventions

• What is the rule? What are you supposed to do?
• It looks like you have a problem, how could I
  help you solve it?
• What do you want from me?
• If you could make this situation better, what
  would you do?

20
Questions to Ask After Intervening

• What are you doing to make this work?
• Have you thought about how to solve it?
• Is it helping to solve the situation?
• If you continue to do what youre doing, what
  will happen?
• What could you do to make this successful?

21
Serious Discipline Problems

• Follow school districts procedures
• Remove the bus from traffic
• Be courteous, yet firm
• Do only what is within your power
• Never touch a student
• Document incidents as needed
• Report serious cases to supervisor or school
  principal

22
Reporting Behavior Problems

• Documenting behavior problems is an important
  component in discipline procedures
• Use common language
• Write reported behaviors that are
• Observable What did it look like / sound like?
• Measurable How long? How often?
• Patterns of behavior will emerge more easily when
  documentation is accurate and thorough

23
Reporting Behavior Problems

• Details to include in behavior reports
• What was happening at the time?
• What did the student do/say?
• What did you do as the driver / assistant?
• How did the student respond to you?

24
Reporting Behavior Problems

• Possible format for documenting and reporting
  behavior problems

With thanks to Sprick Colvin (1992)
25
Reporting Behavior Problems

• Example

With thanks to Sprick Colvin (1992)
26
Characteristics of Student Behavior

• Kindergarten and elementary (K-5)
• Middle school (6-8)
• Secondary school (9-12)

27
Kindergarten and Elementary (K-5)

• Tend to move about
• Tend to talk when expected to be still
• Tend to have limited attention spans
• Tend to have limited memories
• Tend to care about adult perceptions of them
• Tend to actively reject those that do not fit in

28
Middle School (6-8)

• Self-centered
• More focused on acceptance and popularity among
  peers
• Adolescence brings mood swings
• Test limits of adult authority
• Aggression in the form of bullying and harassment
• Conformity in communication and dress develop
• Exploration of sexual relations begins
• Delinquent social activities may begin

29
Secondary School (9-12)

• Socially self-conscious
• Romantic relationships emerge
• Concerned with their dignity
• Concerned with conformity to group norms
• Chronic gossips

30
Managing Student Behavior

• Keep discipline private whenever possible
• Stay professional
• Set discipline standards
• Work with school authorities
• Dont deal with on-bus problems when loading and
  unloading

31
Keep Discipline Private Whenever Possible

• Individual problem behaviors are best handled
  individually
• Avoid showdowns with chronic troublemakers
• Do not threaten the entire busload for the
  actions of a few
• unless the general safety of the bus is threatened

32
Stay Professional

• Be fair
• Do not be lenient when good students misbehave
• Do not be less lenient when troublemakers
  misbehave
• Never lose your temper
• Know that children will test your limits
• Be strict at the beginning of a school year and
  move to general leniency if appropriate

33
Four Steps to Follow When Giving Directions

• Make a polite statement, Jerry, please sit down
  on the seat.
• If the student refuses to comply, state your
  expectations. Jerry, youre expected to sit down
  on the seat.
• If the student still refuses to comply, state the
  consequences. Jerry, if you do not sit down on
  your seat, you will have to ride up here in the
  front seat.
• If there is no compliance at this point, ask the
  student to give an example of the consequence and
  the positive alternative and let the student make
  the decision. Break eye contact and allow them to
  make a choice. Your choice is to either sit down
  or ride in the front seat. Which would you like
  to do?

34
Interrupting Behavior That is Just Beginning

• Are you supposed to be throwing paper on the
  bus?
• (Get students to consider the consequences of
  their behavior.)
• What happens when you throw paper on the bus?
• (Get students to focus on a change in their
  behavior.)
• So, whats your plan?
• (I guess Ill just ride to school and keep my
  papers in my backpack.)

35
Interrupting Suspicious Behavior That Just
Happened

• You are not sure if this person is guilty, but
  you are reasonably certain.
• Whats your plan? (What do you mean, whats my
  plan?)
• Whats your plan to stop writing on the seats on
  the bus? (I dont need a plan.)
• Youre right. But if you continue to write on
  the seats, youll have to follow my plan and ride
  up here or take time after school to clean the
  seats.

36
Controlling Group Behavior

• When you deal with groups, talk to the person who
  gives you verbal resistance
• Remain focused on the behavior and the person who
  gives you verbal resistance
• Make a general polite directive
• Explain the consequence of the behavior to that
  verbally resistive person
• Give that person the negative and positive
  choice, and let him/her make the choice

37
Use Statements Like These to Respond to a Verbal
Attack

• This is not how you get what you want from me.
• This conversation is not helping. How can we
  solve the problem?
• Ill talk to you after youve calmed down. We
  can work this out later.
• When you complain, I only hear how you feel.
  What do you want?
• Everyones doing it! is an opinion. What do
  you really want?

38
Broken-record Method

• If a student is arguing with you or not complying
  with a direct command
• Tell the student what you want
• If the student argues, calmly repeat the
  command/direction up to 3 times
• If the student refuses, use a consequence

39
Echoing-Statements Method of Stopping Arguments

• Repeat the statements of arguing pupils to
  diffuse conflict.
• John took my books. Mary says you took her
  books.
• I did not. John says he didnt take your
  books.
• Yes, he did. He took my books. She says you
  took her books.
• Continue this until the book is returned to its
  owner.

40
Set Discipline Standards

• Settle problems quickly
• Settle serious problems when the bus is stopped
• Seat troublemakers near you
• Drive smoothly
• Be firm, fair, impartial, consistent
• Never lose your temper
• Treat students as you would like your child
  treated

41
Work With School Authorities

• Nurture a relationship with school authorities
• Post a copy of school district rules
• Follow the school district rules
• You do not have the power to put a student off
  the bus school officials do

42
Dont Deal With On-bus Problems When Loading and
Unloading

• Loading and unloading is dangerous
• All the drivers attention must be focused on
  what is happening around the bus
• If a discipline problem occurs during loading or
  unloading, wait until loading or unloading is
  safely completed

43
Assertive Discipline

• Non-assertive discipline
• Hostile discipline
• Assertive discipline
• Assertive school bus drivers

44
Non-assertive Discipline

• Failure to state your needs
• State your needs, but fail to back your
  statements up with action

45
Hostile Discipline

• Stating your needs in negative ways
• May violate students rights
• May result in fear, causing aggression elsewhere

46
Assertive Discipline

• State your needs
• Back those statements up with appropriate actions
• Have a positive outlook
• Have confidence in your abilities
• Balance the rights of all parties involved

47
Assertive School Bus Drivers

• You are the boss of the bus
• Say what you mean and mean what you say
• Clearly and firmly tell students how to behave
• Stay calm normal tone of voice
• Have a plan of action for misbehavior
• Reward good behavior

48
Assertive Discipline Plan

• Show the plan to your supervisor
• Send the plan to parents
• Introduce the plan to the students
• Post the plan on the bus
• Provide consequences immediately
• Provide consequences consistently
• Provide consequences in a calm manner
• Praise students frequently

49
Positive Rewards for Good Behavior

• Are the most important part of your assertive
  discipline plan
• Should be
• Something the kids like
• Be appropriate for age level
• Never be taken away as punishment
• Can be for an individual or group

50
Difficult Issues

• Gang activity
• Bullying and harassment on the school bus
• Suspected child abuse or neglect

51
Gang Activity

• Gang activity can be found everywhere
• Gangs are part of their communities
• Benign forms of gang dress and behavior are
  imitated by non-gang children, making real gang
  members difficult to identify
• Attempting to treat gang members differently will
  only lead to problems
• Treat every student with respect

52
Bullying and Harassment on the Bus

• Lead by demonstration
• Expect children to treat each other with respect
• Assert your need for children to treat each other
  with respect
• Treat everyone on the bus with the same respect
• Document and report incidents

53
Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect

• Your School district has policies and procedures
  for reporting suspected cases of abuse or neglect
• To report these abuses you need
• Name, address, age of child
• Name, address of custodial parent/guardian
• Nature and extent of injury
• Nature and extent of neglect
• Nature and extent of sexual abuse
• Evidence of previous injuries
• Pertinent information supporting reasonable
  suspicion
• Law protects person reporting/testifying

54
Practice Scenario

• Mary, a 1st grader, wont stay seated. Shes
  usually quiet in the morning, but in the
  afternoon, shes wild. I think they give her
  sugar right before she gets on the bus. She
  never listens.
• As a bus driver, what would you do?

55
Practice Scenario

• Jim, an 8th grader, wont stay seated. He is a
  typical middle school boy, and always challenges
  authority.
• As a bus driver, what would you do?

56
Practice Scenario

• Teresa, a 12th grade cheerleader, is excited
  about tonights game, and wont stay seated.
• Normally, I dont even know Teresa is on the bus.
  Shes always so well behaved.
• As a bus driver, what would you do?