DRIVER ATTITUDE

	LESSON PLAN		INSTRUCTOR NOTES
II. The Stresses of a School Bus Driver It’s not always easy to have a positive attitude What are the things that make it stressful to drive a school bus? (Conduct discussion.) Let’s look at this list and think about Tom and Harry Students Tom had the second grader who didn’t respect the danger zone and almost ran under the bus Harry had the seventh grader who is usually late and noisy but today was on time and quiet Vehicle maintenance Tom had the burned out turn-signal lamp which he didn’t notice before the trip Harry had the soft tire, which he dealt with temporarily and made arrangements to have fixed later Personal and home Tom had the plumbing problem, which was probably on his mind throughout the trip a. It also made him late so he felt rushed all morning Harry didn’t have any particular problems a. He even had time to visit with friends before his run and to check the bulletin board for important information Vehicle operation Both buses ran okay today, although they had some safety-related problems (faulty turn signal and low air pressure) Weather While the weather wasn’t bad today, yesterday’s storm caused problems for Tom Road conditions The bridge that had been a problem for Harry is finally fixed Other motorists People honked at Tom and tried to pass him on the right when he was trying to turn into the school A nice motorist let Harry merge onto busy Route 73 Parents of students Tom had to deal with the parent who was unhappy about student behavior on the bus Management/driver relations Harry is going to participate in the upcoming drivers’ meeting How can you tell if someone is under too much stress? (Conduct discussion.)			II.B - Write on flipchart II.M - Write on flipchart

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

II. There are two ways to teach this section. Method #1 Generate the list of stressful things (see II.B.) and, as you generate the list, have people give examples of what they mean. For instance, one driver may have a bus with some particular maintenance problem that is stressful for her. Another driver might be especially irked by stop-arm violators. Method #2 Use Sections D. through L. to guide a discussion with the group about what problems Tom and Harry encountered. Either way, be careful to not let this become a gripe session. II.B. Ask the question and record responses on the flipchart. If you are using Method #2 above, make sure that the following are included on the list: Students Vehicle maintenance Personal and home problems Vehicle operation Weather Road conditions Other motorists Parents of students Management/driver relations. Other responses might be: Not having the things you need for your route Being late Not enough drivers Monotony/routine/repetition. II.M. With the group, make a list of the ways people behave when they are under a lot of stress. Don’t spend too much time on this. The list should include the following: Feel tired, sick, run down Have headaches Abuse alcohol and/or other drugs Smoke more Have poor control of emotions (anger, sadness, irritability) Feel confused, depressed, tense Have changes in sleeping and eating habits Feel negative Can’t concentrate.