Useful Tips on How to Create an Atmosphere of Trust Aboard a School Bus
Some days are more challenging than others are, especially when you are driving a big and loud group of playful schoolchildren to and from school in bad traffic and terrible weather. It can be difficult sometimes to keep the students from behaving in a disruptive manner, as well as to control your own attitude when faced with lack of discipline. Since the bus driver is a person with significant responsibilities and needs to take care of the safety of all the passengers aboard their vehicle, it is important that they know how to regain control of the situation and keep everybody calm in intense circumstances. Here are some useful tips on what to do when faced with bad behavior.
Establish Rules
From the first encounter with their soon-to-be frequent passengers, the driver must establish rules and regulations, as well as clarify what the correct behavior is and explain the consequences for misbehaving. If there is no additional staff aboard the bus, the driver must watch out for potentially disruptive behavior.
Confront Unacceptable Behavior
If unacceptable behavior occurs, the driver must address it immediately and without hesitation because that is the only way to instill discipline into the young passengers violating the rules. The driver must maintain their authority from the very beginning without backing down and use it to build a respectful relationship with their passengers.
Show Character
The driver must be consistent in their decision and enforce the rules when one of the passengers is misbehaving. Since bullying is such a big issue during the formative years of children, it is imperative the driver stops all such behavior and creates trust by protecting the abused party.
Communicate About the Problem
Communication is the key to a good connection among people, and the same applies to the relationship between the driver and their passengers. The driver can solve most problems with a calm, caring and respectful conversation.
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