Pupil Management A school bus driver is not alone when it comes to - - PDF document

3/11/2018 1 Managing Problem Behavior

Bill Leaming and Joe Dietrich

Pupil Management

A school bus driver is not alone when it comes to solving discipline problems, but he/she may be alone when a disturbance occurs.

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Shared Responsibility

• Each group should communicate both needs

and problems in order to find solutions

Objectives

• How to prevent many problem behaviors

from occurring

• How to set limits with students who are not

following the bus rules

• How your own attitude affects the behavior
• f students
• How to be more confident and more

successful in your attempts to address challenging behavior

Training That Teachers Receive

Tier 1: Universal Level

Rules Routines Praise Misbehavior Engagement

Tier 2: Secondary Level of Intervention

Manage the physical classroom environment Motivate students to follow the rules Use the least intrusive means to halt budding misbehavior Involve parents and the school community Attend to social/cultural/emotional factors that affect social climate

Tier 3: Tertiary Level

Interventions developed through school psychologists

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Training That School Bus Drivers Receive School Bus Drivers’ Jobs

• Primary responsibility is to transport

kids safely from one place to another

• Success depends on 3 influences

– Student behavior – The driver’s interactions with students – Defensive driving techniques

Why Do Children Misbehave?

• Power and control
• ver their environment
• Attention – not every

kid needs attention

• Revenge – hurt

feelings/getting back

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Students

• Students are young

people in periods of physical and emotional development

• Need help understanding what acceptable

and appropriate behavior on a bus is

• Students need to learn how to control their

actions

• When they act out, they distract the driver

putting everyone at risk.

What Kind of Driver Are You?

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What is Assertive Discipline?

• It involves a high level of driver control on the
• bus. It is also called the "take-control" approach to

student management, as the driver controls his/her environment in a firm but positive manner. The approach maintains that school bus drivers must establish rules and directions that clearly define the limits of acceptable and unacceptable student behavior, teach these rules and directions, and ask for assistance from parents and/or administrators when support is needed in handling the behavior of students.

What is Assertive Discipline?

• The underlying goal of

assertive discipline is to allow school bus drivers to engage in safe driving principles uninterrupted by student behavior.

What is Assertive Discipline?

• Part of this approach is developing a clear

discipline plan that consists of rules which students must follow at all times

• Positive recognition that students will receive

for following the rules

• Consequences that result when students

choose not to follow the rules. These consequences should escalate when a student breaks the rules more than once in the same

• day. But (except in unusual circumstances) the

slate starts anew the next day.

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What is Assertive Discipline?

Assumptions of this approach include:

• Students will misbehave.
• Students must be forced to comply with

rules.

• Drivers have needs, wants and feelings and

the right to drive the bus without interruption by students misbehaving.

• Punishment will make students avoid

breaking rules and positive reinforcement will encourage good behavior.

Assertive Bus Driver

• I will not allow you to

behave like this on my bus

• I will not drive any further

until everyone stops yelling and gets into their seats.

Characteristics

• They are the boss on the bus
• They say what they mean and mean what

they say

• They clearly and firmly tell students exactly

how they want them to behave

• They stay calm and use a normal tone of

voice

• They have a plan of action when students

don’t behave

• They reward students who do behave

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Hostile Bus Driver

• You kids make me sick, Get into

your seats and shut up, now!

• If I have to tell you one more

time I’m stopping the bus and throwing all of you out.

• You kids are a bunch of

dummies.

• Can’t any of you behave? You

act like you were raised by wolves.

Nonassertive Driver

• Can’t you kids behave?
• For the third time, please,

won’t you sit down?

• It’s so noisy in here. I just

can’t handle teenagers.

• I wish these kids would stop

making such a racket.

Preventing Problem Behavior

• List 3 of the discipline challenges a school

bus driver faces on a daily basis

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Preventing Problem Behavior

• How might a bus driver’s approach to these

challenges impact a potential crisis?

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Three simple strategies you can use to

prevent difficult behaviors from happening in the first place

• 1. Get to

Know Your Students

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Preventing Problem Behavior

• 2. Establish rules/expectations
• Post simple and positive rules
• Go over rules and revisit frequently
• Treat students as you would be treated

Preventing Problem Behavior

• 1. Get to Know Your Students
• 2. Establish Expections
• 3. Be A Positive Role Model
• Be friendly and polite
• Demonstrate the behavior that you would

like to see; “Please”, “Thank You”, etc.

• Compliment them when they behave well

Preventing Problem Behaviors

• The first step when intervening is to identify

the individual’s level of behavior

• Three levels or categories of behaviors

– First is the Anxiety Level

• Pacing
• Finger drumming
• Wringing of hands
• Staring

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Preventing Problem Behavior

• Respond Effectively to Problem Behavior

– Keep problem behavior from escalating – Be proactive, not reactive

• Anxiety Level – Be Supportive

– Invite the student to sit next to you – Create a distraction or redirect – Others???

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Second Level is Defensive Behavior

– This is the beginning stage of loss of rationality

• Becomes belligerent and challenges

authority

• Refuses to comply with the rules
• Very resistant

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Preventing Problem Behavior

• Verbal Escalation Continuum

– Questioning – Refusal – Release – Intimidation – Tension Reduction

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Directive Responses to Defensive Behaviors

– Five-Step Approach to Setting Limits

• Explain which behavior is inappropriate –

be specific

• Explain why the behavior is inappropriate

– don’t assume they know

• Give reasonable choices with consequences
• Allow “wait” time – may seem like ultimatum
• Enforce the consequence

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What Would You Do?

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Third Level is the Acting-Out Person
• Notify dispatch
• Provide your location
• Pull off to a safe area
• Stop and secure the bus
• Stand up
• Use a distraction
• Tell students near fight to stay clear
• Order combatants to stop fighting
• Know and follow district policies

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Ohio Revised Code 3319.41 (C),”Persons employed or engaged as teachers, principals, or administrators in a school, whether public or private, and non-licensed school employees and school bus drivers may, within the scope of their employment, use and apply such amount of force and restraint as is reasonable and necessary to quell a disturbance threatening physical injury to

• thers, to obtain possession of weapons or other

dangerous objects upon the person or within control of the pupil, for the purpose of self-defense,

• r for the protection of persons or property.”

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Intervention Tools and Strategies

– Nonverbal – two aspects

• Personal space

– uncomfortable when invaded – don’t crowd – one seat or leg length away

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Intervention Tools and Strategies

– Nonverbal

• Body Language

– posture – gestures – facial expressions – do you scowl – put hands on hips – wag the finger in face

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Preventing Problem Behavior

• Intervention Tools and Strategies

– Paraverbal Communication

• Tone – avoid impatience,

condescension, sarcasm

• Volume – appropriate for situation
• Cadence – even tone and rhythm
• How, and what, you say makes a

difference

Preventing Problem Behavior

• Intervention Tools and Strategies

– Use Integrated Experience

• The idea that the behaviors and attitude
• f drivers have a powerful impact on the

behavior of students

• Hard to maintain patience and be calm

when students are verbally abusive

• Find ways to rationally detach

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Preventing Problem Behavior

• Intervention Tools and Strategies

– Rational Detachment

• Stay calm and in control
• Don’t allow students’ behavior to affect

your own

• Take care of yourself on and off the job
• Reduce stress

Summary

• Knowing your students is crucial so that you

have established trust and respect

• Your expectations must be clear and

consistent

• Be able to read warning signs and identify

and respond to problems early

• If a student is anxious, we support them
• If they are defensive, we are direct with

them - give options

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Huge Responsibility

• Even with our best preventive

student management we will experience one or more levels of problem behavior

• Our first priority is always

safety – for our students and ourselves.

Contact your Pre-Service Instructors for more information Contact the Department

www.schoolbus@education.ohio.gov 614-466-4230

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