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.
If you feel comfortable approaching the driver, you can always talk to a driver at the stop, however most drivers are on a time schedule so if you send a note with your child and have it ask the driver to either call you at their leisure or explain the situation in the note, the driver can then address the situation. Either way, I do suggest leaving your phone number as a point of contact for the driver so that they can follow up with you and get clarification with the situation or at least you have then reached out to the driver to get some resolution to a situation. I encourage all my bus parents to contact me if they have issues or concerns and I encourage them to text me or call me or write notes to me so that I can address behavior issues or other problems that crop up on the bus. Good luck, I hope you get the situation resolved!
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1. Don't throw stuff.2. Don't throw stuff.3. Don't throw stuff.
Now that that's out of the way... the bus driver had every right to write you up for throwing stuff on the bus as well as everyone else involved in throwing the seat stuffing. I also hope that the driver and school makes you all clean the bus and repair the seat that was damaged. Just because you tried to tell them to stop doesn't negate the fact you threw it eventually yourself.
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At every stop? Not sure to be honest. If this bus is a special needs bus there is likely a monitor on the bus. If the bus is having to talk to parents at every stop I'm not sure what the issue was but there may have been an incident or a route change and this driver felt it best to notify by going door to door. It also depends on the districts policy too.
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It depends on where you are referring to. If you mean stop order in the morning, yes, most drivers have control over that. We also have control over whether or not someone sits with another person through assigned seating. When it comes to loading at schools, we can't control who gets on the bus first but again we can control where people sit through assigned seats.
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Is having a weatherman really better than just throwing to a 5-day forecast screen?
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I have to say I side with the bus driver on this one to be honest. It is our policy that no students get on any buses when the buses are unattended by an adult. She is right to reprimand you and your fellow students for opening the door and getting on the bus without her there. If an administrator or school official told you to get on the bus without her there then you do have the right to complain and let her know that the administrator told you to get on the bus without her there. Simply taking it upon yourselves to enter the bus without the driver is not okay though. If there is another adult besides the driver telling you to get on the bus without the driver there then I would approach the driver and let her know politely whats going on so she can address it with the school as per the policy of the district.
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Talk to your bus driver and be honest with her. Also, if you had trash on the bus, it might have solved issues if you simply put the trash in the trash can instead of behind you in the seat. That could lead to you forgetting to take it with you when you get off the bus and throwing it away properly. Additionally, a week with the little kids isn't as bad as it seems. Sometimes its easier to just accept a consequence, remembering to throw the trash away in the trash can instead of leaving it or putting it on the seat for others to find, and moving on.
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You should probably contact the bus yard to have the video tape pulled off the bus and reviewed by the supervisor. If there is a problem with the driver, the tape will show it. If your child is misbehaving, the tape will show it. Double edged sword with that one. Name calling a child is unacceptable, but how much of this is a story the child is saying to downplay his own actions on the bus for getting in trouble? Video tapes are a saving grace and school administrators can review and either clear your child or the bus driver in this case.
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