What Makes Great High School Bus Services?
High school is, of course, a time of growth for many students. For some, it’s a time of first love and challenging peer relationships, and for others it’s a time of nose-to-the-grindstone academic work. Still, for others, the four years spent within their high school’s walls are some of the most challenging times they’ve yet faced, as they’re forced to reckon with their life’s purpose and the uncertain futures that college admissions hinge upon.
In short—high school is never a straightforward time or any child. But of course, you know this; you’re an administrator there. You’re devoted to providing your teenaged students with a safe academic and emotional environment, one that is conducive to their personal growth and scholarly successes. From the bottom of our hearts at American Student Transportation, we commend you on your commitment to each and every student in your care, no matter their social standing among their peers or the letters on their report card.
Of course, this commitment has led you to assess the importance of each and every staff member that plays a role in the school day. Lunch ladies must be prompt and cheerful, teachers must be on-top-of-things and intuitive—but what about your student transportation services? Though some students can drive their own cars to school, at least the entire freshman class doesn’t have this option, and thus must rely more heavily on school bus services for transportation. Upperclassmen, too, might not have achieved their driver’s license at the young age of sixteen—every person has their own timeline, after all.
Whether you’ve previously realized it or not, your school bus contractor still plays a role in the quality of your students’ school days, even as they’ve aged, and said services thus are as worthy of consideration and scrutiny as any other school staff member.
Hiring the Right High School Bus Drivers
Of course, you can’t assess the quality of your student transportation services without knowing what exactly it is you’re looking for! Before diving into this question, it’s important to note, though, that just because a given school bus contractor works well for elementary and younger children doesn’t mean that they work for your high schoolers.
Children’s brains mature and their needs change as they grow; why else must schools consider so thoroughly what’s age appropriate curriculum and what isn’t? When it comes to school bus services, then, you must assess your district’s on an age-by-age basis to ensure that each child, from the kindergartner to the high-school senior, is receiving the safe and comfortable bus ride they deserve.
So, then, what does a great provider of student transportation services do to provide quality service to your older students?
A Great Bus Driver Enforces the Rules
Though high-schoolers are decidedly more independent than their younger comrades, many of them are still children—or, at the very least, still young, if you count eighteen-year-old seniors. Youths, while needing a degree of freedom and ability to make mistakes, also need structure in the form of rules and discipline in order to feel comfortable in any given environment.
Quality school bus contractors for older age groups understand this, and they still enforce rules relating to basic human decency, such as cleaning up after oneself and keeping volume levels manageable. Though these same rules might still apply to your younger students, they don’t lose relevance as they age!
A Great Bus Driver Puts a Stop to Bullying
Young students can be more forthcoming with their assaults on vulnerable peers, but older children can be much more secretive. Cyber-bullying and text-based attacks abound.
While it’s unreasonable for a bus driver to have their eyes and ears on their passengers at all times—they have to drive, after all—at the very least drivers should be aware that bullying presents itself differently as kids age, and that it may not be as obvious as they might think.
A Great Bus Driver Treats Students With Respect
No high-schooler likes to be belittled or talked to as if they were a much younger child. While drivers should still definitely remain professional and in positions of authority to provide the aforementioned and much-needed structure, conduct and expectations should change as students develop more adult-like ways of thinking.
Your bus drivers should respect your older students as individuals with their own attitudes, beliefs, and opinions—but still create a predictable, safe environment which all children need to feel comfortable.
Contact American Student Transportation for Excellent Bus Services
Whatever age groups need bussing, whenever they need bussing, our expansive and experienced team is ready and willing to handle it. Given that plenty of our employees are former school employees themselves, we’ve got the hard-earned know-how to tailor each bus ride to the students it serves. Give our Blaine office a call now at 651-621-8900 and see how quality bus services help students succeed.