Well, I have definitely neglected this blog since Thanksgiving, but my schedule has just been filled with insanity.
First, I traveled up to Indiana to testify in a court case (guilty!), then returned to a myriad of doctor appointments and random field trips that take up most of my weekend time. I also babysit for a friend of mine on the nights she goes to work her second job until her husband comes home (approx 1 hr or so) so that has been keeping me very busy. So, that being said, I simply haven't had time to sit at the computer all that much and catch up on my regular blog reads.
The doctor appointments were successful in that both doctors (a foot doctor and an ear, nose, throat doctor) identified reasons for my suffering. (I have constant foot pain and sinus infections.) Turns out, I have heel spurs on both feet, with one being worse than the other. Luckily we caught the heel spurs early enough for proper intervention to fix the problem. I'll be getting custom made orthotics and I'm in a foot brace during the day (till the orthotics come in) and a night splint at night. My sinus problems are being caused by my adenoids, so they possibly have to come out. Yay me.
On to more recent events. Today I drove a group of 4th graders to a local television station. The kids got a tour of the station which included the weather "green screen" and got to meet the various anchors of the news. I stayed outside with the bus, but soon needed to seek a bathroom. I caught the noon news just as it began to air. The kids still hadn't come out from their studio tour, so I figured they were probably behaving so well, that the studio had allowed them to watch the taping of the news. At the last 3 minutes of the news, the studio flashed the kids on the screen and they got to wave and say goodbye. The news anchor voiced over the picture and said "S Elementary from W. County, State is visiting us in studio today!! Wave goodbye kids!!" It was way cool considering that they don't typically do that with school groups. The teacher said that they were very well behaved so they earned that treat. The kids were so excited when they got back on the bus, and it was so unexpected that noone thought to record the news. I hope they are able to get a copy from the station or that someone's parent recorded the news.
Speaking of news, Alternative Boy got arrested at school for possession of Cocaine. He hasn't been on the bus since, but I've seen him wandering the neighborhood. I suspect he's been expelled or suspended from school.
Pipsqueak badly needs a seatbelt. For the life of me I cannot get that child to sit still in his seat. I have removed his backpack from him since he tends to go inside his backpack, then when its time for him to get off the bus, all of his stuff is falling out of his arms as he wanders up the aisle.
My middleschool kids are learning the hard way that I mean business. In the mornings, with the exception of 2-3 kids, I tell them what seat to sit in as they get on the bus. In the afternoons, with the exception of a handful of kids, I also tell them where to sit, though its slightly more difficult because I need my trouble makers up front and still have my little ones on the bus at the time.
I'm now having trouble out of my highschool group who has decided to take advantage of me. I'm beginning to think they need assigned seats as well. My second run is the worst as far as behavior problems go because my 4th and 5th graders like to talk back to me. I can't wait for Christmas.
The Wheels on the Bus......
The Bus Driver
Showing posts with label alternative boy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alternative boy. Show all posts
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Note and Pipsqueak
The other day, I get this note from my 4th and 5th grade kids:
Dear Mrs. Bus Driver,
We all know you want us quiet, but you shouldn’t be so hard on us. We are just kids! Please, Please, just give us a reasonable and understanding talk with us.
By,
All of 4th and 5th grade
I guess my being strict is having an effect on them. They’re in that stage where they are trying to get on my nerves and push the rules. I’m not budging on the rules. They know where I stand on the rules and I am not unreasonable in my demands. It’s because of their behavior that I cannot play the radio. They cannot respect even the smallest treat and I find it really sad because I would love to be able to have fun and joke around with them, but if I am not strict enough they will walk all over me. I just don’t know how to give them the incentive to do what I want them to do without bribing them. The kids on my first round are still having issues. Its time for another talk once the break is over. I am starting to get them warmed up to me though. It’s just a matter of keeping them under control. Some of my older babies made the honor roll and the paper listed their names. I’m so proud of them!
Speaking of little ones, I have a pre-k baby (Pipsqueak) that insisted on singing very LOUDLY for the whole bus to hear, and it kept cracking me up as well as all my middle schoolers who thought he was so adorable. Pipsqueak is aptly named, as his book bag is as big as HE is. He has been a true challenge, as is with any 4-year-old, he tends to stand up and play in the seat. We are working on his behavior in that regard. He is also cute when he gets off the bus, if he sees a car coming he WILL NOT enter the road until someone comes and gets him off the bus.
Alternative boy is now riding the bus again, God help me!
I’ll be leaving this Friday and coming back Saturday. I have an overnight field trip, which I hope will provide a wonderful anecdote or two for everyone.
Ready For A Vacation!
The Bus Driver
Dear Mrs. Bus Driver,
We all know you want us quiet, but you shouldn’t be so hard on us. We are just kids! Please, Please, just give us a reasonable and understanding talk with us.
By,
All of 4th and 5th grade
I guess my being strict is having an effect on them. They’re in that stage where they are trying to get on my nerves and push the rules. I’m not budging on the rules. They know where I stand on the rules and I am not unreasonable in my demands. It’s because of their behavior that I cannot play the radio. They cannot respect even the smallest treat and I find it really sad because I would love to be able to have fun and joke around with them, but if I am not strict enough they will walk all over me. I just don’t know how to give them the incentive to do what I want them to do without bribing them. The kids on my first round are still having issues. Its time for another talk once the break is over. I am starting to get them warmed up to me though. It’s just a matter of keeping them under control. Some of my older babies made the honor roll and the paper listed their names. I’m so proud of them!
Speaking of little ones, I have a pre-k baby (Pipsqueak) that insisted on singing very LOUDLY for the whole bus to hear, and it kept cracking me up as well as all my middle schoolers who thought he was so adorable. Pipsqueak is aptly named, as his book bag is as big as HE is. He has been a true challenge, as is with any 4-year-old, he tends to stand up and play in the seat. We are working on his behavior in that regard. He is also cute when he gets off the bus, if he sees a car coming he WILL NOT enter the road until someone comes and gets him off the bus.
Alternative boy is now riding the bus again, God help me!
I’ll be leaving this Friday and coming back Saturday. I have an overnight field trip, which I hope will provide a wonderful anecdote or two for everyone.
Ready For A Vacation!
The Bus Driver
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The continuing saga of Alternative Boy
This morning I went and turned in the write up for the incident yesterday afternoon. I had the bus shop pull the tape so that I could cue it up and the school could see the behavior in question. The principal of the Alternative School met with me in the office. Our exchange went something like this:
Principal: He got 5 days off for yesterday morning right?
Me: Yes Ma’am.
Secretary: Yes.
Principal: Ok, add another 10 days on top of that for this one.
Me: Ok, Thank you. So that’s 15 total days off the bus?
Principal: Yes, that’s what the protocol is.
Me: Thank you very much.
Excerpts from our current bus policy (taken directly from the handbook):
Riding a school bus is a privilege, not a right. The student who persists in misbehaving on a school bus jeopardizes the safety of everyone on the bus and may lose the privilege of riding the bus. The bus driver is responsible for maintaining discipline on the bus and in this capacity has the authority to assign seats and to make other reasonable demands of students. Any necessary discipline will be administered by a principal or the principal’s designee. In extreme circumstances, bus drivers may deliver a misbehaving student to a school principal or to the police before finishing the route. A student is to ride the bus to which he/she is assigned. Any emergency request to ride a bus not previously assigned to the student should be requested in writing by the parent/guardian.
The bus is an extension of the classroom/school, and the bus driver should be extended the same respect as a classroom teacher. The bus driver has absolute charge of the pupils riding his/her bus. Any offense covered in the Student Behavior Code (Policy JCDA) that occurs en route to and from school and/or on a school vehicle will be dealt with as if it occurred on school property. Also, students are not allowed to eat, drink, or chew gum while on the bus. In addition to the punishment options identified in the Student Behavior Code, administrators are authorized to suspend students from riding the bus for a specified period of one to ten days and require a parent conference before the student resumes riding the bus. During this conference, the administrator, parent(s)/guardian(s), and a student may establish a contract of bus conduct for the student to follow. If necessary, an administrator can suspend a student from bus transportation for the remainder of the school year.
The typical discipline for bus behavior problems goes as follows:
1st Write up – Warning (OR) 3 days off the bus – depends on school and the offense the student committed.
2nd Write up – 3 days off the bus. (This may be skipped to step 3 if the student has already had 3 days off for the 1st Write up)
3rd Write up – 5 days off the bus.
4th Write up – 10 days off the bus.
5th Write up – Loss of bus riding privilege.
Yes, Alternative Boy has earned himself 10 days off the bus for his rude and disrespectful behavior from yesterday afternoon. We shall continue this story when he gets back on the bus in 15 days. The principal didn’t even bother to look at the tape of the incident.
In other news, I need to figure out what I’m going to wear on Halloween. I’m thinking a witch hat and wig and a witch nose if I can find one! Any suggestions?
Loving the Peace and Quiet,
The Bus Driver
Principal: He got 5 days off for yesterday morning right?
Me: Yes Ma’am.
Secretary: Yes.
Principal: Ok, add another 10 days on top of that for this one.
Me: Ok, Thank you. So that’s 15 total days off the bus?
Principal: Yes, that’s what the protocol is.
Me: Thank you very much.
Excerpts from our current bus policy (taken directly from the handbook):
Riding a school bus is a privilege, not a right. The student who persists in misbehaving on a school bus jeopardizes the safety of everyone on the bus and may lose the privilege of riding the bus. The bus driver is responsible for maintaining discipline on the bus and in this capacity has the authority to assign seats and to make other reasonable demands of students. Any necessary discipline will be administered by a principal or the principal’s designee. In extreme circumstances, bus drivers may deliver a misbehaving student to a school principal or to the police before finishing the route. A student is to ride the bus to which he/she is assigned. Any emergency request to ride a bus not previously assigned to the student should be requested in writing by the parent/guardian.
The bus is an extension of the classroom/school, and the bus driver should be extended the same respect as a classroom teacher. The bus driver has absolute charge of the pupils riding his/her bus. Any offense covered in the Student Behavior Code (Policy JCDA) that occurs en route to and from school and/or on a school vehicle will be dealt with as if it occurred on school property. Also, students are not allowed to eat, drink, or chew gum while on the bus. In addition to the punishment options identified in the Student Behavior Code, administrators are authorized to suspend students from riding the bus for a specified period of one to ten days and require a parent conference before the student resumes riding the bus. During this conference, the administrator, parent(s)/guardian(s), and a student may establish a contract of bus conduct for the student to follow. If necessary, an administrator can suspend a student from bus transportation for the remainder of the school year.
The typical discipline for bus behavior problems goes as follows:
1st Write up – Warning (OR) 3 days off the bus – depends on school and the offense the student committed.
2nd Write up – 3 days off the bus. (This may be skipped to step 3 if the student has already had 3 days off for the 1st Write up)
3rd Write up – 5 days off the bus.
4th Write up – 10 days off the bus.
5th Write up – Loss of bus riding privilege.
Yes, Alternative Boy has earned himself 10 days off the bus for his rude and disrespectful behavior from yesterday afternoon. We shall continue this story when he gets back on the bus in 15 days. The principal didn’t even bother to look at the tape of the incident.
In other news, I need to figure out what I’m going to wear on Halloween. I’m thinking a witch hat and wig and a witch nose if I can find one! Any suggestions?
Loving the Peace and Quiet,
The Bus Driver
Monday, October 27, 2008
Alternative Boy gets written up
So, I just knew it wouldn’t be long before I had an interesting story about Alternative Boy. This morning began pretty typically, dropped the highschoolers off and continued to the first of four elementary schools that I drop off at in the morning times. He is calling me from the back of the bus asking to move up, change seats, and just generally being a pain in the rear. He changes seats anyways and I make him move back to his original seat. He didn’t like this too much and started to pout.
He forgets about pouting and begins to hold his arms as though he’s holding a rifle or a gun with them. He makes the cocking/loading noise of the gun and then “aims” and pretends to fire. He does this several times in the direction of the bus behind me. I tell him he needs to stop. He doesn’t listen. He then says, “What bus is behind us? Oh, Bus 36. They are ‘bout to get shot!” Then “aims” his “gun” at the bus behind me and continues to make the noise. I ask him if that is a threat and tell him to stop. He doesn’t listen again, “fires off” two more times and then stops, laughing.
I wrote him up.
He got 5 days suspended off the bus.
This afternoon he got on my bus with an attitude and flounced back to the back seat complaining the whole time that I wrote him up for “nothing” and that he didn’t deserve what he got. He continues to question me why I wrote him up and I ignored his prodding demands. I wasn’t going to get into it with him. Well he stews the whole ride, then 2 stops before his designated stop, he gets up and demands to get off the bus because I didn’t turn down his road and take him RIGHT home. We are not allowed to let them off at a stop other than their own designated stop. I ask him politely to sit down and wait until his stop. He continues to get louder and louder and then tells me to either let him off or call the police. I asked him to step aside to let the other children off at their designated stop, but as soon as I opened the door part way he kicked the door jerking it out of my hand (I have an older, swing arm/hand operated door on my bus) and proceeds to walk across in front of the bus. He takes the wad of gum (my kids are not allowed to have gum – or any type of candy - on the bus) out of his mouth and flips it up in front of me as if to say, “fuck you” and walks off.
I rerouted the bus so that I would not need to go by his house. I deliberately did that simply because I didn’t know if he had an actual gun at home and didn’t want to put myself or any of my other kids on the bus in danger of him. I plan to write him up again for insubordination and disrespect.
Staying Calm,
The Bus Driver
He forgets about pouting and begins to hold his arms as though he’s holding a rifle or a gun with them. He makes the cocking/loading noise of the gun and then “aims” and pretends to fire. He does this several times in the direction of the bus behind me. I tell him he needs to stop. He doesn’t listen. He then says, “What bus is behind us? Oh, Bus 36. They are ‘bout to get shot!” Then “aims” his “gun” at the bus behind me and continues to make the noise. I ask him if that is a threat and tell him to stop. He doesn’t listen again, “fires off” two more times and then stops, laughing.
I wrote him up.
He got 5 days suspended off the bus.
This afternoon he got on my bus with an attitude and flounced back to the back seat complaining the whole time that I wrote him up for “nothing” and that he didn’t deserve what he got. He continues to question me why I wrote him up and I ignored his prodding demands. I wasn’t going to get into it with him. Well he stews the whole ride, then 2 stops before his designated stop, he gets up and demands to get off the bus because I didn’t turn down his road and take him RIGHT home. We are not allowed to let them off at a stop other than their own designated stop. I ask him politely to sit down and wait until his stop. He continues to get louder and louder and then tells me to either let him off or call the police. I asked him to step aside to let the other children off at their designated stop, but as soon as I opened the door part way he kicked the door jerking it out of my hand (I have an older, swing arm/hand operated door on my bus) and proceeds to walk across in front of the bus. He takes the wad of gum (my kids are not allowed to have gum – or any type of candy - on the bus) out of his mouth and flips it up in front of me as if to say, “fuck you” and walks off.
I rerouted the bus so that I would not need to go by his house. I deliberately did that simply because I didn’t know if he had an actual gun at home and didn’t want to put myself or any of my other kids on the bus in danger of him. I plan to write him up again for insubordination and disrespect.
Staying Calm,
The Bus Driver
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)