Although Barry Dorshimer only drove a school bus for Whitehall-Coplay School District for four years, the experiences from that time inspired him to put down some thoughts on paper that might help other drivers along the way. Now, his book “School Bus Wisdom” is available online from Author House Publishing.
After suffering a detached retina and taking leave after not being able to pass the CDL examination, Dorshimer utilized his time off to pen the book, as School Transportation News originally reported last September.
“Most of what is incorporated in my book was never included in the training from the school district or the state itself,” said Dorshimer, who became a driver when he retired from a local utility company after 37 years. “While I was waiting at home dealing with my additional surgeries, I came up with the idea for the book and composed it.”
Some of the lessons of the book include dealing with students by showing them respect and explaining what strategies work and those that don’t when it comes to dealing with children. As a parent and now grandparent, Dorshimer said he has learned through experience that bus drivers need to shy away from constantly yelling at kids and correcting them. Postive reinforcement, Dorshimer has learned, works best with children.
He also covers some of the more technical sides of the job, including what to do when the accelerator gets stuck in the wide open position.
“You have to take it out of gear and start braking. This is a common sense thing that many people don’t know, including some school bus drivers,” said Dorshimer.
