The Bus Driver
15 Years Experience
South, ..
Female, 37
I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
There's a shortage because it is hard to find someone who is willing to put up with all that we put up with for the low pay we get. Often times we make even less than food service workers and janitorial staff and are expected to have all the qualifications to ensure the children get from home to school and back again safely. Couple that with a severe lack of discipline follow through on the school administration part and it's a vicious cycle.
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Someone's gotta do it. It's either that or the district offers remote learning options for the teenagers and not everyone succeeds that way.
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Some states do not allow walking off a job or striking. It can be viewed as insubordination and can put someone's job at risk. If you want to make changes, best to petition for them properly through the right channels. I have not participated in a walk out or strike because i value my job and have some dignity.
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There are always routes out there that nobody else wants but I am a firm believer that there is a bus driver for every route meaning that there is a bus driver that will be able to reach the kids on each route in that special way. It is sort of like a matching game, you have to figure out which bus driver matches with what route. Some routes are definitely more challenging than others.
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Radio program/music director
Just how good of a radio host do you think Howard Stern is?
Beauty Queen
Have you ever suspected that the judging in a pageant was rigged?
Day Care Provider
Do the kids ever reveal embarrassing things about their parents?
That's due to the driver having an air ride seat. The air ride seat allows the seat itself to cushion against the imperfections in the road. It's kinda like riding a horse if we hit a bumpy part of the road. It saves our backs from hurting as bad after our long routes.
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I use a variety of positive reinforcement tactics. For most kids, a routine is best so assigning them a seat on the bus and a seatmate they're friends with alleviates 90 percent of behavior issues. The other 10 percent, I use positive rewards for good behavior and largely ignore the bad behavior. Sometimes with a difficult child, I assign them a "job" like making sure everyone is awake. Now occasionally even this method doesn't work and I do have to resort to writing a child up and turning them into the school but that is a last resort.
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Great for inner city and areas that are largely congested where pollution might be a large concern. Impractical for large areas due to limits on how fast and long it can run on the alternative fuels before returning to regular fuel.
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