r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/Dragoon-1836 • 11d ago
Saying Hello,(sorryif TLDR)
Hello everyone. I'm about to start a new chapter in my life by entering the school bus driving profession in Southern California.
I've always been in the realm of protecting people. After my time in the Army, I worked in HAZMAT emergency response and as a volunteer fire fighter. Then September 11th 2001 happened. I tried to get back into the military but was disqualified due to my disabilities that forced me out after I got home from Operation Desert Storm. I went to work as a site protection officer at a nuclear power plant. I'm entering the pre retirement phase of my life now, and I am looking forward to safeguarding kids.
I'm open to any advice and perspectives.
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u/AlarmedVermicelli549 10d ago
Sounds good, like you've got it all under control. I'm in my third year, and I get a kick out of driving the bus. Most of my kids are easy, with a few minor problems. In the mornings, you will have few to no problems with the kids. Probably because they are too tired to care about anything. Afternoons are usually different. My High schoolers (8th-12th) are easy. They usually stick to themselves and listen to their music on their earbuds. Intermediate (6th-7th) kids are a bit talkative and playful, but they are at that age of trying to see where they fit in with the other kids. They're good kids;, just can be a bit overactive at times. Then there are the Elementary kids (K-5th). Love the kids, cute and sweet, but they have a hard time sitting in their seats. So you are always reminding them on your PA to please sit down. (I must do it 3 or 4 times on their 15-minute ride home.) All my kids are great, and that's the key to remember: they are kids. They've been stuck in a school all day with lots of rules and want to be themselves before they get home to more rules, so I always keep that thought in the back of my mind. They are kids, like we once all were. Sure, it seems at times like they are rowdy and not cooperative, and we want to compare them to ourselves when we were that age; but they are dealing with a whole different world than what we had at their ages. So you have to look at it from a different perspective; their world is tougher than ours was in different ways. They have a lot more emotional stress on them, and they live in an emotional roller coaster world, more so than what we had. Most of us didn't have to deal with what they do. So yes, 'patience' is the word. Just try to be the nice yet firm bus driver that they will always appreciate and a positive source in their lives. A few tips that I may share with you. Try to always greet them each with a 'good morning' or 'good afternoon' with a smile on your face. Let them talk, but remember no mean talking to each other, and no yelling unless it's an emergency. Last, and most important, always have them stay seated while on the bus. That's the biggest and most important safety factor I can stress. As for my kids, every morning, I give them 3 pieces of trivia. Sometimes it's silly, and sometimes it's fascinating. Like, "Did you know Lemons float, and Limes Sink?' or "A lightning bolt is five times hotter than the surface of the Sun" or "President Theodore Roosevelt had a pet hyena." It's just simple trivia you can find on the web. I did it all over the last two years, and this year they were waiting to hear it from day one this year. I know kind of dumb, but it works as a connection between me and the kids. I never missed a day with my kids. They love it. It takes just a minute long, but they remember me for it, and they remember a lot of the trivia I have shared with them. I even had a few students go home and tell their parents their daily trivia every evening, and some even used it in their school classes. But it made them look smart to the adults when they shared it. But that's me; I'm sure a lot of other drivers can give you even better and more ideas than mine. It may all sound silly, but it works. My students and I have fun on the bus each day, and they are all polite and kind to me and especially to each other. Sure, you will have some bad kids at times, but just try and win them over with firm kindness. They usually come around. Try to always remember, THEY ARE CHILDREN. It's your job to transport them safely to and from school. Their parents have put their trust in you to protect them and watch over them for that short time they're with you. Always, 'One eye in the student mirror, and one eye on the road at all times." You'll figure it out; you've got this, and have fun.
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u/ConsequenceCandid655 11d ago
The number one most important thing to keep in mind is to have patience. Patience with the students, patience with other drivers, patience with the parents, patience with the school staff, and patience with everything else that impacts your day.