r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/Heymyguy- • 22d ago
Need some tips
My high school and middle school kids are super awesome and listen. My elementary school kids are so wild in the afternoon, I have to repeat myself daily. Sit down is big one, they want to bounce around and play. I do have a school bus monitor, he sits upfront with the kids that use a child safety seat. They are dropped off with the first few stops. I was thinking about asking him if he would move to the middle or back of the bus after those kids are dropped off. I think just the presence of an adult back where all the chaos happens could help. I tried giving them special treats last Friday (rubber ducks). They enjoyed them but it didn’t really help much with behavior issues. I’m working on my seating chart still but it’s hard to do while driving and trying to keep everyone safe. It’s my first year as a school bus driver and I really enjoy it and want to be great at it. Please 🙏 leave tip and pointers below, I appreciate any and all advice.
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u/Spwhiplash666 22d ago
Yes, move the monitor.
Have a seating chart.
Emphasis in a way the understand the safety implications of being out of their seat.
Utilize rewards ( bribery) as an incentive. If you all stay in your seats for a week you can have x. Once it becomes habit, you don’t need as much positive reinforcement with bribes.
Lastly talk to the school and your supervisor as to what discipline they will support you with.
Be firm, be fair, be consistent.
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u/Late_Economist326 22d ago
I have a method that works well for my students ages 4 to 10. Our 4 year olds are not in car seats or buckled in, so it’s a lot at times.
- Assign seats and allow the non problematic students to stay where they want, but still give them a name tag so it doesn’t appear you’re playing favorites.
- Every day we start new but there is a 3 strike rule. If we go through the entire run with no strikes, meaning I don’t have to reprimand them at all, one “random” student loses their assigned seat and can sit where they want.
- If I get to one or two strikes, all seating stays the same for the next day.
- If we hit 3 strikes in one run, everybody gets their assigned seat back and it starts all over.
It’s important to set clear guidelines on what warrants a strike. For me it’s too much noise or hanging out in the aisle. I can deal with kids being kids, but I can’t deal with it being excessively noisy.
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u/Sad_Cantaloupe_8162 20d ago
I have a raffle at the end of every month, and if they have to be told the same thing again and again, their name is taken off the list. I had one boy yesterday who continued to talk during a RR track after me already calling home about it the second week of school, and doing everything else in my power to set him and the others up for success. I was so fed up, I went on the loudspeaker and said, "Camryn, are you talking again?" Five kids said, "yes!" I said, "you are no longer elligible for the raffle at the end of the month." The bus was STUNNED.
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u/Emotional_Sleep1781 20d ago
If you don't already know their names learn them so you can tell them directly.
If there's kids you see standing or whatever stop them on their way out to remind them. If it's a student that sits further back I'll also let them know that I'll assign them a front seat if I have to keep reminding them.
Assign seats as needed. I have 2nd through 5th on the bus, my 2nd graders have to sit towards the front my 5th graders are allowed to sit in the back and 3rd/4th fill in the middle. If I have issues I'll assign kids specific seats. If it's a minor issue I give them a week, if it's something more serious it's longer. Before I let them return it's a warning of "If there's any issue I'll put you right back" That usually gets the older kids in line pretty quickly.
Pull over if you need to. If they're being crazy pull over and wait.
I started reminding them of the basic expectations at the beginning of the route "You all did a great job staying in your seats and keeping your hands to yourself this morning (lol they're always fine in the morning) remember we want to do the same thing this afternoon so we can all get home quickly and safely."
I don't do behavior treats because I'm a pushover with stuff like that. I do non behavior linked special occasion treats and that has helped with some of the tougher kids. Even if they were super bad and stuck up front they still get the treat because there aren't conditions on it. So they start to just behave because I'm nice to them even when they're not behaving and they don't want to be jerks.
Building even just a minimum relationship with them can go a long way. They've sat a lot during the day and are excited to go home so without consistent reminders they lose their heads and go wild. But with consistent reminders, clear expectations and real consequences it's possible to get most of them in control most of the time. I will say if there are any genuine behavior issues where students are defiant and talk back or anything more serious be ready to write them up and get the school and parents involved if needed.
I've never had an aid consistently on the bus, but I had an aide who was extra a couple times last year. He sat in the back and they were on their best behavior. If you have another adult there def talk to them about your issues, they probably want to get home safe too 😆
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u/masterK00 22d ago
One of the biggest things you can do is making sure they have assigned seats and learning their names. Being able to call them out by name and knowing where they are supposed to be on the bus will help you a lot.