I intended to write this and post this earlier in the week, but my schedule dictated otherwise. Alternative Girl began to ride the bus again this week. So far she had only been riding the bus in the mornings, and when I check in with the Alternative School in the afternoons, I’ve been told I had no students to pick up. She rode Monday morning with a brief confrontation getting on the bus. She pushed and elbowed another student in order to get on the bus first. I stopped her and told her that pushing and elbowing is inappropriate. (Later the boy she “pushed and elbowed” told me that he tripped, but I seriously doubt this was the case, it looked like she pushed and elbowed him out of the way.)
Monday afternoon, I dealt with her cousin (WhinyGirl) who rides my bus regularly. She has a bad attitude and a whiny voice that grates on nerves like nails on a chalkboard. She constantly talks back to me when I give a directive. I had enough of her insubordination so I finally told her if she didn’t follow the directive I gave she was getting a write-up, she retorted with “I don’t care.” I told her that she earned another write-up, wash, rinse, and repeat. Finally I just shut up because I didn’t want to have to deal with her being a twit head.
Tuesday morning AlternativeGirl got on the bus and had a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas. She asked me why I hadn’t been picking her up in the afternoons and I explained how it worked and that she needed to notify the Alternative Administrator in order for me to come over there and pick her up. I’m usually one of the last buses going through the Alternative School in the afternoons as it is on my second run and I get there about 3:35-3:40 pm. She agreed and then asked me to come pick her up that afternoon. I agreed and in my mind was going to tell the Alt. Admin on duty about my trouble with her and her threats to me as detailed in my Pre-Christmas break blog.
WhinyGirl pipes up with “Miss. Bus Driver? My momma gonna talk to you at 4 when you drop me off today cuz you said I got 3 write-ups.” I think, “Oh great, I can tell her mom what has been happening with both WhinyGirl and AlternativeGirl.”
Tuesday afternoon, I go to pick AlternativeGirl up from the Alt. School and motion for the Alt. Admin on duty to come to the bus. I explained my problems with AlternativeGirl and AlternativeGirl flew off the handle. Like totally flew the coop! She started shouting about how I’m lying on her and how she didn’t do what I said she did. (This is where I find out the boy tripped.) The Alt. Admin redirects AlternativeGirl to sit down and be quiet and she flies off at him and starts saying that she’ll just get off the bus and walk home instead. Inside, I’m thinking, “YES!!! Get off the bus so I don’t have to deal with your –insert cuss words- all the way home!!” Finally, Alt. Admin had enough of her bad attitude and talking back and told her in short order to, “Get off the bus!”
Later, I pull up to WhinyGirl’s stop and her mother is there waiting on me. WhinyGirl’s mother cops a bit of an attitude with me at first, but her demeanor changes drastically when I explain her daughter’s behavior as well as AlternativeGirl’s behavior and threats. While I’m explaining, WhinyGirl interjects with her usual, “But it WASN’T meeeeeeeeeee.” plea to the general world and anyone who will listen. I then explain that the behavior WhinyGirl just showed is exactly the behavior that I’m dealing with on the bus in not following directives and doing what she’s told on the bus. The mother informs me that she will have a talk with both girls that evening. I thanked her and notified her that I hadn’t turned in any write-ups yet because I wanted to speak with her first and try to let her handle it at home before I take further action through the school. I have done this with other students in the past and it has worked out very well, they usually come back and behave better on the bus.
Wednesday morning marked a significant drop in the temperature here, so WhinyGirl’s mom asked if AlternativeGirl could ride that morning, as it was too cold to walk. I said absolutely. I’m not about to leave any child out in the cold, even if they have an attitude the size of Texas. That afternoon, I receive a note in my mailbox notifying me that AlternativeGirl has been suspended from the bus for 3 days starting Thursday and ending on Tuesday. She can ride the bus again next Wednesday. This was due to her atrocious behavior towards the Alt. Admin on Tuesday afternoon. I didn’t pick her up on Wednesday afternoon and was preparing myself for a fight with the mother on Thursday morning as I had told the mother that I wouldn’t turn in any write-ups just yet, but that AlternativeGirl still got suspended from the bus. WhinyGirl gets on the bus Thursday morning and whines to me about me getting her cousin suspended. I stopped WhinyGirl in her tracks and told her that it wasn’t my decision in the first place and that she had the altercation with Alt. Admin and THAT was the reason she was suspended.
Blessedly, Friday was a normal day. Next week, I train the new person on my route and I go back to bouncing from bus to bus. It should make for some interesting stories for sure!!!
Counting The Days,
The Bus Driver
Showing posts with label Alternative Girl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative Girl. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2009
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Happy Holidays!!!
The last 3 days before vacation were much better. The high school had finals the last three days of the week, so I only ended up hauling 1-3 out of my normal 15-20 group of highschoolers home on the bus. My second group was only my 4th and 5th graders (the kids who ask incessant questions). I do 2 and a half runs in the afternoon to get all my kids home. Because they were exceptionally good for each of the 3 days, I allowed them to talk quietly once we got to the high school.
My 4th and 5th graders are usually expected to stay quiet because of the unnecessary squabbles that my kids typically get into while on the bus. They tend to take neighborhood issues and bring them on the bus creating tension and problems. The problems create unnecessary stress on me so I usually head it off at the beginning and tell them not to bring the issues on the bus and as such, they are not allowed to talk on the bus. They are pretty much a good group of kids, but they DO push buttons and they know exactly which buttons to push. I fear that because I loosened up slightly that it will backfire on me. I understand that they were excited about Christmas.
I have discovered that my highschoolers are my main problem and issue. They act like thugs and are very disrespectful. The last 3 days before vacation have opened my eyes to this especially since I did not have most of them on the bus. The bus had a different atmosphere. I was able to relax a little bit and instead of buying my kids anything for Christmas, I played Christmas music for my younger group of kids and then with my 4th and 5th graders I let them choose their seats (they have assigned seats) and played Christmas music.
The morning route has become interesting though since I have a new alternative student who just started riding. Alternative Girl is a piece of work and has a “cousin” on the bus that is one of my 4th and 5th graders. Well Alternative Girl insisted on talking and breaking the rules, so I asked her to come up front and sit down, she pitched a hissy fit and insisted on getting off at the wrong school and mouthed off to an administrator and mouthed off to me claiming I was only picking on her and not handling the other kids on the bus and that I was lying. She tried to get my other kids involved in it but I was so proud of them when they just stayed quiet and didn’t give her the reaction she was looking for. She told me to let her off the bus “before it gets ugly.” Yeah, I just LOVE threats from students. Her behavior is similar to the behavior of the kids I used to work with 4 years ago and it nearly triggered me into a panic attack. I’ll explain it in another blog. I kept my cool though and just let it roll off my shoulders. The rest of the bus was quiet and once she got off, her “cousin” started in on it and I told her to hush her mouth. She started to smart off at me and I stopped her in her tracks. The cousin was sleeping through most of it until Alternative Girl woke her up. As some of my 4th and 5th graders got off, I kept notes on who I kept having to tell to be quiet and told each of those they were getting a write up. I’ll turn them in after break because I couldn’t get the tape pulled until that afternoon. The sad thing is, if Alternative Girl had just done what I had asked in the first place, she wouldn’t even be getting a write up. The reason that her and her cousin are getting a write up is not for talking and even breaking the rules, but for the disrespect they displayed when riding the bus.
Glad its Christmas Break,
The Bus Driver
My 4th and 5th graders are usually expected to stay quiet because of the unnecessary squabbles that my kids typically get into while on the bus. They tend to take neighborhood issues and bring them on the bus creating tension and problems. The problems create unnecessary stress on me so I usually head it off at the beginning and tell them not to bring the issues on the bus and as such, they are not allowed to talk on the bus. They are pretty much a good group of kids, but they DO push buttons and they know exactly which buttons to push. I fear that because I loosened up slightly that it will backfire on me. I understand that they were excited about Christmas.
I have discovered that my highschoolers are my main problem and issue. They act like thugs and are very disrespectful. The last 3 days before vacation have opened my eyes to this especially since I did not have most of them on the bus. The bus had a different atmosphere. I was able to relax a little bit and instead of buying my kids anything for Christmas, I played Christmas music for my younger group of kids and then with my 4th and 5th graders I let them choose their seats (they have assigned seats) and played Christmas music.
The morning route has become interesting though since I have a new alternative student who just started riding. Alternative Girl is a piece of work and has a “cousin” on the bus that is one of my 4th and 5th graders. Well Alternative Girl insisted on talking and breaking the rules, so I asked her to come up front and sit down, she pitched a hissy fit and insisted on getting off at the wrong school and mouthed off to an administrator and mouthed off to me claiming I was only picking on her and not handling the other kids on the bus and that I was lying. She tried to get my other kids involved in it but I was so proud of them when they just stayed quiet and didn’t give her the reaction she was looking for. She told me to let her off the bus “before it gets ugly.” Yeah, I just LOVE threats from students. Her behavior is similar to the behavior of the kids I used to work with 4 years ago and it nearly triggered me into a panic attack. I’ll explain it in another blog. I kept my cool though and just let it roll off my shoulders. The rest of the bus was quiet and once she got off, her “cousin” started in on it and I told her to hush her mouth. She started to smart off at me and I stopped her in her tracks. The cousin was sleeping through most of it until Alternative Girl woke her up. As some of my 4th and 5th graders got off, I kept notes on who I kept having to tell to be quiet and told each of those they were getting a write up. I’ll turn them in after break because I couldn’t get the tape pulled until that afternoon. The sad thing is, if Alternative Girl had just done what I had asked in the first place, she wouldn’t even be getting a write up. The reason that her and her cousin are getting a write up is not for talking and even breaking the rules, but for the disrespect they displayed when riding the bus.
Glad its Christmas Break,
The Bus Driver
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