How will you be remembered as a bus driver? Don’t forget: WE ARE THE ADULTS HERE.
Be an adult a student can trust. Be one who will be remembered for doing what was right. The driver who stood up for those who got picked on. Be the driver who can tell the difference between a real problem and an annoying behavior — both can be very frustrating, but some things are just not worth fighting over with a student.
Step back and take a look at yourself some time and really look hard at the way you present yourself to students on your bus, your co-workers and the general public, the other adults you deal with on a daily basis. Think about the teachers who bring your students out to your bus. How do you come off to them? Do they see a grumpy person who seems to enjoy yelling at kids and arguing with the school duty? Or do they see you and think, “Wow, what a nice person.” Think about the parents of those passengers on your bus. How will they see you? If they have a question that might upset you, do you snap back with an answer or blow them off because you may be in a bad mood? Or do we politely answer them with a smile? And if we don’t have an answer, do we say in a sincere voice, “I don’t have that answer, but I will do my best to get you that information”?
We all know this job can be very demanding of us sometimes and kids can push our buttons. But remember that they are children and most of what they know they learned from adults, so let’s be the best adult role models we can be.
Christie is the assistant manager at Brown Bus Company in Nampa, Idaho.
He can be contacted via email.
