As a parent would this make you mad or would you under stand it????? I am the bus driver

[DCasper]

Good luck, I am so glad that my children are grown. Wouldn't it be great if parents rode the bus with their kids every now and then just to keep their child and the other children quiet.

 

[kimisfishing]

That is too funny. I did not know what it ment till I moved here and it is used all the time, plus half of our drivers are Preachers. * If you knew me that would be very funny*

"Come to Jesus meeting"? I don't understand. Is that a saying or reference to something?

 

[GableBabble]

"Come to Jesus meeting", is used here too...very often. Oh and "A month of Sundays".

The letter idea is awesome. Those parents and kids are lucky to have you! My older kids driver is a bit on the "off" side, she will write them up on the drop of a hat. In her defense they are all a bunch of high school middle school kids who are probably acting like apes. Mine ride the bus 1 hour and 45 minutes each way. By off I mean she is the spitting image (and personality) of cartoon charater Maxine...
The younger's driver is just plain mean to my littlest. She does not write the kids up, just singles them out in front of everyone (for reading a book quietly) and proceeds to bless them out. The sub driver told me just a couple of days ago that she loves Shelby. "That kid will just sit and read the whole bus ride, quiet as a church mouse."

Do you offer music from the radio on the bus rides? What about "free" day (where they can have drinks or snacks, as long as they are good and also pick up after themselves)? Kids always act differently away from their parents. It is very hard for us parents sometimes to know just what our kids are doing on the bus. I wish mine would call me, or send me a letter. "Maxine" corners me at the grocery store or will toot the horn for me if they misbehave.

** We are a farming community. These kids can get wild but mostly just are loud. The bus rides are really long, and they all seem wound up tighter then a rats hatband.

 

[Mattemma]

Waste of time.If kids behavior is inapproriate the rules should be set forth in such a way that there are steps taken after each infraction. I can not stand *group* punishment. My kids teachers do this taking minutes off of recess for the entire class when ONE student does something to annoy the teacher. The group as a whole should never be punished. I understand this was done in military basic trainning,and the *group* would personally take care of the problem member.In school or on the bus students just suffer along with the rule breaker.They can not get the bad kid back in anyway. My child was right when she asked," What is the point of being good when I will just get punished along with the bad kids?" Yes, what is the point of being good.

The sub driver should have pulled off and determined who was breaking rules so names could be taken.Since she did not she lost her chance,and as a result her only outlet was to complain about the kids.The regualr driver should remind the students that ANY rule breaking will be met with harsh punishment leading up to the loss of riding the bus for the rest of the year. Punishment of the rule breaker is the only way.Group punishment is inappropriate.I would not make my kids write the letter,but if they wanted too they should state they were not involved in the poor behavior,and were sorry to see the driver was unable to get the bad kids under control resulting in risk to everyone on the bus.Craziness on the bus can result in accidents that can kill.Kids who don't follow the rules on a bus should be banned from riding.

Best wishes whatever is decided.

 

[thaiturkey]

Unsupervised children in groups will often play up and, if the driver was the only adult present, then those students described in the OP were unsupervised. It would not be reasonable to give the responsibility of keeping order to the driver either. A new driver is likely to be tested by the children and the school authorities should have anticipated that.

Kimifishing, would you give some examples of the apparent bad behaviour? What one person might regard as bad might be regarded as normal childlike behaviour by another. If they were endangering the safety of others then that is surely a matter for the school to deal with and it should not be left to the driver. If they were just boisterous, then that's what healthy children in groups are like. Also, might the substitute driver have behaved in a way that provoked a reaction from the children? Has anyone asked them?

 

[xC0000005]

As a fellow holder of a CDL/Passenger/Air brake license (not currently a bus driver) I have to say that I don't believe that the way we treat our bus drivers these days makes any sense. The bus driver is operating a commercial vehicle that's 38 feet long. It takes an order of magnitude longer to accelerate and brake, if the nose wanders four inches the tail wanders three feet, and in many cases it is literally impossible to turn "in my lane." So the bus driver's job is to safely operate the bus. Not to police the children. Not to act as rent-a-cop. Not to do ANYTHING BUT DRIVE THE BUS. When I was a kid we had a teacher who rode on the route with the driver. The driver did what drivers are paid to do and do well: She drove. The teacher on the other hand, in the rear facing seat, was the eyes that kept us children quiet in our seats.

Your letter is not out of line, your passengers are. If their parents had any inkling of the skill and attention needed to deliver their children safely they'd have their whelp write you ten letters and then back it up by being good passengers. I'm not saying they have to be silent, but standing up, yelling, throwing things....sigh.

It's a good letter.

Dear Route 7 Parents,
For the last few weeks I have been working with our students about their behavior on the bus. We have had many days that I have had to remind them of the regular rules and that they are for safty, not to take away the fun.
Yesterday afternoon I was ill and we had a substatute driver. Ms. Kathy drove our bus and some of the students were very loud, disrespectful, and would not follow the rules even after being asked to.
I was not there so I can not say which students were doing these things, so I feel that all the students should write Ms. Kathy a note of appology. It may say anything they feel they need to say, even if it is just, "I am sorry the bus was so loud".
Thank you
Ms. Kimberlee

I have included and copy of some of the safty rules incase you would like to refresh the students on how they should be acting on the bus.

 

[dewey]

When I was a kid one of our bus drivers, who was also a teacher at our school, would race around the curves on the back roads (dirt) leaning the bus and let us kids hang part way out of the windows to try to grab the trees we skimmed past in the curves. That was in the early 1970's.

 

[WingingIt]

When I was a kid one of our bus drivers, who was also a teacher at our school, would race around the curves on the back roads (dirt) leaning the bus and let us kids hang part way out of the windows to try to grab the trees we skimmed past in the curves. That was in the early 1970's.

LOL.

Ours would throw you off the bus if you misbehaved. Didn't matter where on the route we were, either. He'd tell them to get off and start walking and then he'd give their phone number to the next kid that got let off and tell that kid to call and let them know where to pick up their brat. He also let the really little kids sit up front right next to him on that flat spot between him and the driver's window. Mr. W. Still remember him!

 

[kimisfishing]

Ok as for examples: calling a student named Phoenix ( male body part), loud, moving seat to seat while the bus is moving, playing guns and shooting games, and more that I can not think of right now. As for punishing any of them, I REFUSE TO CALL OUT ONE OR 2 FOR ANYTHING IN FRONT OF ALL OF THEM. THAT IS JUST MEAN AND DEMEANING. I do know the names of the offenders ( I also dont like to call them bad) but as I was not there I can not write them up. And as I said before, my boss does not back us up, he is retiring in 2 months and does not care. I have 3 older students that help control by sitting with the offenders and talking to them. They have been getting worse for the last few weeks and I am working with them, but I am tired of haveing a sore throat every night, I do appologize to the *good* ones and they all say that is ok, we undeerstand. I do reward good behavior, and even if they were not good that day i still give rewards and say* I know you are trying to do better and next week you are going to try more*
No one was forced to writhe the letter, it was a request. The children were happy to write them and they were very sweet letters that even made me cry because they were truly sorry. My kids all tell there parents they love me, and I talk to my parents offten.
I also send a letter at the begining of the year with a short BIO on me and my expierence and expectations that includes a card for phone numbers, names, medical issues that I might have to deal with and permission for treats and restrictions on them.
Children all really want to be good and will try more than you know, sometines they just cant. I do understand that and we do over look everything we can.
Too much noise is really only a danger if I can't hear sirens or the 2 way radio.
I can't offer music on a regular basis because ti causes them to be louder, but we do sing Happy Birthday to each one on their day and we sing holiday songs. I have a few that like to make up songs and sing them to me so I also do that.
Our children are on the bus for about 20-40 minutes so they can restrain them selves that long.
We are not allowed to have other adults on the bus to help, we have tried.
I am sorry for those that have mean drivers, but I must be doing something right because my kids hug me and say I love you on a regular basis. They know that what I do is for their safety and they know I really love them, this is not about PUNISHMENT it is about respect and safety.
Just because a group of kids is together does not excuse bad behavior.
My kids are even allowed to give input on punishment and results. I try to give ownership of the behavior to them.
I really believe these kids are treated with respect and love and they need to return that wheather it is me or someone else driving.
As bad as I spell just be glad I am a driver and not a teacher LOL.
Thank you all for the input. I really do like having more oppinions so that I can see how others view what I am doing.
We are not allowed to put them off the bus, and I even wait till they are in the house before I drive off LOL ( they are my kids).
In a perfect world they all be good and i would just drive but this is reality and we have to do what we think is best. and I think Love and Talking is much better than writing up all the time. I use that as a last resort.

 

[thaiturkey]

I admire your dedication to the job.

Driving a school bus is an onerous responsibility and that is why I believe that controlling the children should be in the hands of a second adult. If that's against the rules, then the rules are wrong and should be changed.

If bad student behaviour causes an accident, the bus, and probably school, insurers will have to pick up the tab and the driver will go before the firing squad. I wonder what the insurance policies say about supervision on buses.