I TOUCH THE FUTURE

I DRIVE A SCHOOL BUS

A JOINT INITIATIVE BETWEEN LAND TRANSPORT NZ AND NZ POLICE

‘Patience is the ability to idle your motor

when you feel like stripping your gears’

PROGRAMME

1..The bus education programme that is taught at schools.

. 2..Reporting processes and the procedures that follow. 3..Strategies for making the hard job of

discipline and behaviour management on the school bus, easier.

“Be patient with your student passengers.

It takes a lot of slow to grow”

Why do children misbehave?

peer pressure. lack of self discipline skills. low self esteem. inability to relate to their peer group. little or no behaviour boundaries established in the home. Or often mixed standards and therefore no adult role models. often isolated. constantly seeking attention. Evan negative attention is better

than being left in a vacuum many students don’t have the social skills to say how they are

feeling.

A school bus driver can affect eternity;

No one can tell where his/her influence stops

Behaviour Management.

I call these the HI 5s – Be definite----“I know what I want”

Be aware ----“I know the steps to take should I need to”

Be calm, consistent and polite--- factors that calm situations.

Give students structure and choice---I know where we are going. Be positive. Look for the good in everyone and say something.

Behaviour management – High 5’s

Be aware

Give them structure

Accentuate the positive

Be definite

Be fair and consistent

Be definite’

Know what you want to achieve. Knowing exactly what you want allows you to communicate an air of confidence- no room for debate/ conflict.

Be assertive in a positive way. Voice tone is important-strong sounding but moderate to soft volume level.

Have a Code of Conduct sheet available and refer to it if required.

Use the ‘I’ statement- never ‘You’. Focus on the behaviour not the student. Be positive in your actions and outlook. Look for the good in everyone and say

something.

Concepts such as responsibility and loyalty

cannot be taught directly like Maths and

English. They must be learned from someone

bus students respect.

Be Aware’

Be definite of what you want and stick to it. Remain calm at all times. Stay polite at all times even this may be

difficult on occasions. State your expectations clearly. Clarify any possible misunderstandings. State how the student’s behaviour is not

meeting your expectations.

State what will happen if the behaviour continues.

Refuse to be distracted from the issue.

Depersonalize the action, by making it quite clear that it is the

student who is forcing you to write a report, rather than it being a personal attack by you on them.

Try and sound rather sad or disappointed about having to write

this behaviour report.

Always use the ‘I’ statement and focus on the behaviour.

“I’m sure you feel bad about this. Now you know what not to do next time.”

Be highly specific when talking about the behaviour.

Give the student a choice— (name) you have a choice You must remain seated (specific) because of safety issues for yourself and others or I will put in a report to your school.

Never debate issues with students.

Try to be as confidential as possible when reprimanding a student.

Phrase of the day: ‘What do you suppose you could have done differently’

Look for opportunities to say something positive before the student leaves the bus. “ (name) I cannot accept that behaviour on the bus as you may put the safety of everyone at risk therefore I still need to file a report. However since my request your actions have been excellent and I thank you for it. I will also mention that in the report. I want you on my bus but I don’t want that behaviour”

“ Security: the feeling of being worthwhile “

‘Be calm, polite and consistent’

Always be calm. It is difficult to argue with a person who is calm, assertive and confident.

Always be polite. Always be fair and consistent. Target the behaviour NOT the child. There is no

place for sarcasm or demeaning the child in any way.

Give reflection time to the student causing concern. State your expectation then give them space.

Calmness, being consistent and fair, reduces/eliminates confrontation and helps build feelings of trust, security and a sense of well being on this bus.

“A student’s hearing is not very

good in the heat of conflict”

‘Give them structure’

Know the Code of Conduct as set down by the Ministry of Education; School and Road Code.

Be organized. Have set routines Who gets on the bus first-the youngest children . Etc. Patterns become automatically formed.

Have the code available and show the student what part of the

code that is being broken. The very important way you interact with your students. Firm

but fair.

Making students aware they have/are meeting your expectations .

Aim for high standards and expect students to meet them. The students will strive to meet them.

In this way they will leave your bus with a positive sense of success, and will be more likely to behave and enjoy the ride.

Phrase of the day: “Thank you for being a wonderful/responsible/happy/super/polite person on my

bus today. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow”

‘Be Positive’

Greet/say farewell to every student as they get on/off your bus. Learn their names. Knowing their names is a very strong

controlling factor as well as an essential ingredient for building positive relationships.

Decide on what you want the students to call you.

Always expect the best from your students rather anticipating the worst.

Frame everything you say in a positive light.

“Recognize every effort, however slight.”

Use individual praise to encourage the accepted forms of behaviour.

Take a personal interest in their activities. ‘I saw your name in the paper for-------‘ Well done. I am proud to have you on my bus’

‘ Hey its ------birthday today’ Set targets and goals for students who have made a mistake.

Enhance the students self esteem.

Mention/write positive reports to the various schools. Schools like to acknowledge students who are doing the right thing

“Children are our most valuable natural resource”

Value students and their individuality

Develop a ‘family’ atmosphere where we all care for each other.

Have a sense of humour. Laugh with the students.

Show that your enjoy having them on your bus.

CONTROL TECHNIQUES:

Let us reflect on the techniques that have been mentioned: Always be polite.

Avoid confrontation.

React from the head not from emotion.

Control your voice and tone. Use the student’s names.

Use non-verbal signals eg. Looking at the student.

Intervene early.

Always be calm and assertive. Give them a choice. They chose to -------- Create gaps. Always use the ‘I’ statement.

“Setting a good example for your passengers is twice as good as giving them good advice”

Always be positive.

Always be consistent. Take an interest in the student’s activities. Personalize your

driving.

To encourage accountability for their behaviour. Self control and self discipline is the goal.

To promote the values of honesty/ fairness/ respect etc.

FOR THE STUDENT

How do I decide what is right and what is wrong?:- Am I breaking a rule.? What does my conscience tell me? Will anyone be hurt if I do this? Would I like someone to do this to me? Is it fair to everyone on this bus? What would my parents tell me to do? Will I feel proud of my decision/actions? Am I happy to put my name to this behaviour? Could I tell someone I respect what I have done? Would I like to see it on the front page of the newspaper.

BUS DRIVER STYLE- ‘FIRM BUT FAIR’.

Advantages: Students learn to behave through the application of consistent

boundaries. Once learnt where the boundaries are, the students will follow them without being told.

The style creates a more relaxed atmosphere and is less

stressful for everyone on board.

Talk to them.

“Make each student feel there is something special about them”

There is opportunity for fun, enjoyment and sharing.

‘Be a real person’ Learn to personalize your driving.

Do try and make your students feel that you like them and you are interested in subjects that interest them

“There are no ‘problems’ on a bus only challenges”

Create a positive image through your physical personality:

Use your face- students spend the majority of the time looking at your face. If your face is moving, smiling and relaxed but always alert, they will believe you are in-charge.

Use your eyes. Use your voice-tones/assertiveness show students

how confident and definite you are. Use your body. Standing proud gives off an air of

confidence

“Children have more need of models than critics”

Dress for success. A smart tidy appearance does lend to making a good impression and suggests you are proud of what you do and you take your role seriously.

Use/show a sense of humour. Learn to see issues in a positive light- problems as

challenges. Look for the good in everyone and you will find it ten

fold. Focus on what is going well. Often only a small

number are causing concern.

“I am confident that you will figure out the right thing to do in the future”

Praise and thank students who are doing the right thing.

Use positive language- “Great to see you (name)” Plan for good behaviour-

manners/consistency/fairness/greetings etc. ‘The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones

with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are the ones that care’

Remember:

Negative Thought Positive Thought

Negative Emotion Positive Emotion

Negative Action Positive Action

SEMINAR FACILITATORS: MURRAY BISHOP RoadSense Facilitator-Taupo Educating NZ

ANDREW CAMPBELL Police Education Officer Taupo

“Your biggest challenge may be to find something good in every student. Rise to that challenge, and you and the student will both win”