The last full day of training at the TSD Conference on Tuesday features a keynote on how school bus drivers can improve the social and emotional health of their students.
Lori Desautels, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Butler University, specializing in “Mind Brain Teaching” and “Learning Strategies.” She has trained school bus drivers in Indiana to understand educational neuroscience, trauma and the effect on students, especially those with disabilities. Her talk focuses on what she says school bus drivers can do to impact student brain state and behavior to help them be more successful in the classroom.
Desautels also teaches a breakout session later in the day, to help school bus drivers identify behavior and mental health issues in preschool riders.
Other sessions on Tuesday include: strategies to minimize expenses; coordinating the jobs of drivers and attendants; creating a “no” culture for sexual harassment; strategies for mainstreaming special ed students with nonobvious disabilities. There is also a panel discussion on balancing the rise in technology on the bus with the need for training and more accountable management.
The TSD Conference officially comes to a close the following morning with the general session “Coffee’s On Us, Tips Are Appreciated.” Attendees who participate in the session by sharing their takeaways from the conference as well as what topics they need more of will receive commemorative School Transportation News mugs to sip their favorite morning wake-up beverage.
Browse the daily conference agenda or a detailed workshop view.
