1. WELCOME!! 2008 Southeastern States Pupil Transportation Conference Atlanta, Georgia

2. School Bus Driver Behavior Management Workshop July 16, 2008 SESPTC Delegates Presented by: Brad Holley – Administrator Alabama State Department of Education Pupil Transportation Section

3. The number one problem on buses is not discipline. It is lack of procedures and routines. Teach rules and procedures sysemtatically with: ExplanationRehearsalFeedback

4. MAKE VISIBLE, YOUR INVISIBLE EXPECTATIONS!

5. RULES RULES Are expected norms of behavior. Are expected norms of behavior. Are the Constitution of the Bus. Are the Constitution of the Bus. Prevent or encourage certain behaviors. Prevent or encourage certain behaviors. DO NOT CHANGE! DO NOT CHANGE! Are generally limited from 5 to 8. Are generally limited from 5 to 8.

6. PROCEDURES Are ways of getting activities done on your bus. Are ways of getting activities done on your bus. Make tasks routine. Make tasks routine. Help achieve consistency, predictability, and are time saving. Help achieve consistency, predictability, and are time saving. May change according to needs. May change according to needs. Have no prescribed number. Have no prescribed number.

7. Things to remember about rules: Bus rules should be consistent with school rules and/or board policy. Bus rules should be consistent with school rules and/or board policy. Rules should be stated and consistent with students grade level and/or ability level. Rules should be stated and consistent with students grade level and/or ability level. Rules must be doable. Rules must be doable. Rules should be easy to monitor. Rules should be easy to monitor.

8. And finally… Rules should be consistent across situations; they should not vary or change. Rules should be consistent across situations; they should not vary or change. Rules should be stated positively. Rules should be stated positively.

9. TEACHING BUS RULES! - PUBLICIZE - EXPLAIN AND EXEMPLIFY - ENFORCE CONSISTENTLY

10. PUBLICIZE Post the rules on the bus. Send copies of the rules home – one to be returned with parent signature and one for parent to keep. Give students a copy of the rules.

11. EXPLAIN AND EXEMPLIFY Discuss specific expectations. For example: Show respect to other people on the bus. For this rule to have meaning to students, they must know both what and how to do specific things that show respect. What does respect look, sound, and feel like?

12. MORE EXPLAIN AND EXEMPLIFY Teach your riders to be responsible, respectful, and resourceful. Have the students generate specific examples of how they would show responsibility, respect, and resourcefulness on your bus.

13. ENFORCE CONSISTENTLY! Be firm, fair, impartial, and consistent. Be firm, fair, impartial, and consistent. Relaxing the rules sends mixed messages to students about behavioral expectations. Relaxing the rules sends mixed messages to students about behavioral expectations. Check to see if rules say what they really mean. For example: Does No Talking mean total silence or whispering? Check to see if rules say what they really mean. For example: Does No Talking mean total silence or whispering?

14. PROCEDURES Have procedures for almost everything. Have procedures for almost everything. A single presentation may not be adequate. A single presentation may not be adequate. Telling is not teaching. Telling is not teaching. Procedures should be consistent ways of doing things. Procedures should be consistent ways of doing things. Procedures do not lend themselves to creative expression. Procedures do not lend themselves to creative expression.

15. Steps Needed to Teach a Procedure 1. Explanation 2. Rehearsal 3. Feedback 4. Reteaching

16. Explanation: Show and Tell Define a procedure in concrete terms. Define a procedure in concrete terms. Give reason behind the need for the procedure – usually to motivate students to improve. Give reason behind the need for the procedure – usually to motivate students to improve. Demonstrate: Model the correct procedures A picture is worth more than a thousand words. Demonstrate: Model the correct procedures A picture is worth more than a thousand words.

17. Rehearsal: Practice, Practice, Practice………. Helps student learn appropriate behavior. Helps student learn appropriate behavior. Provides feedback to the driver to see if reteaching is needed. Provides feedback to the driver to see if reteaching is needed. Is crucial for whole-group or complex activitieslining up at bus stop, exiting the bus, etc. Is crucial for whole-group or complex activitieslining up at bus stop, exiting the bus, etc.

18. Feedback: How did we do? Your chance to tell students your are please with their behavior. Your chance to tell students your are please with their behavior. Your chance to mention errors in behavior. Your chance to mention errors in behavior. Your chance to stress the positive. Your chance to stress the positive. Your chance to review, state expectations, rehearse again. Your chance to review, state expectations, rehearse again.

19. Reteaching: One more time… Cycle through again. Cycle through again. Re-explain. Re-explain. Rehearse again. Rehearse again. Give feedback again. Give feedback again.

20. The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook. Children are not perfect. Children are not perfect. Expecting perfection is unrealistic and invites disappointment. Expecting perfection is unrealistic and invites disappointment. Children will talk. Children will talk. Children will make mistakes. Children will make mistakes. Children will act inapropriately at times. Children will act inapropriately at times.

21. Use the Faculty Meeting Rule Do not say or do anything to your rider that you would not feel comfortable having your supervisor say to you in a group meeting. Do not say or do anything to your rider that you would not feel comfortable having your supervisor say to you in a group meeting. Use discretion by simply talking to a rider away from the rest of the riders or in a quiet tone at his/her seat. Use discretion by simply talking to a rider away from the rest of the riders or in a quiet tone at his/her seat.

22. CATCH YOUR RIDERS BEING GOOD!

23. Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. There are probably as many positives as there are negatives on your bus. There are probably as many positives as there are negatives on your bus. If we look hard enough, we will find something negative, if thats where we put our focus. If we look hard enough, we will find something negative, if thats where we put our focus. The good news is that the same holds true for the positives on you bus. The good news is that the same holds true for the positives on you bus. Its all too easy to get frustrated and begin focusing on all thats wrong. Its all too easy to get frustrated and begin focusing on all thats wrong.

24. Effective bus drivers know that focusing on the positives on their buses will foster positive behaviors, overshadowing and eventually obliterating the negatives.

25. FEEDBACK! THREE POSITIVES TO ONE NEGATIVE! MAKE DEPOSITS SO THAT WITHDRAWALS ARE POSSIBLE WHEN NEEDED.

26. Ive come to a frightening conclusion that I am the deciding element on my bus. Its my personal approach that creates the climate. Its my daily mood that makes the weather. As a bus driver, I possess a tremendous power to make a persons life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de- escalated and a person humanized or de- humanized. Ive come to a frightening conclusion that I am the deciding element on my bus. Its my personal approach that creates the climate. Its my daily mood that makes the weather. As a bus driver, I possess a tremendous power to make a persons life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de- escalated and a person humanized or de- humanized.

27. This PowerPoint presentation may be found at: www.alsde.edu Click on Sections, Pupil Transportation, Publications, and then School Behavior Workshop Contact Information: Brad Holley – Alabama State Department of Education Phone: 334-242-9730 Email: bholley@alsde.edu THANK YOU! HAVE A SAFE TRIP HOME!!!