The wheels on the bus.........come to a screaching halt!

Simply put, bus drivers, they irritate me. Many years of my life have I waisted cleaning up the mess they create, simply because they are under-educated, or ill trained when it comes to the special education population.

My district in particular, touts the "excellent" and "intense" training they go through to become excellent providers of service, and with the highest regard to your child's needs. Really? Seems I've missed those drivers (for the last eight years and multiple placements).

Daily, I find myself confused, disheartened, and down right pissed off at the treatment, lack of professionalism, and omnipotence, in how they deal with the population. At what point during their supposedly so thorough training did they learn behavioral theory, the multitude of facets that come with each and every specific disability (and co-morbidity as well), sensory processing dysfunction, and a slew of other factors that frankly, I'm to tired to list?

It enrages me that these individuals who at most, may spend 2-2 1/2 hrs a day with a particular student, seem to not only know so much about them, but can also in a split second determine what is, and what isn't a manifestation of the child's disability, and there for, consequate them (based on their own belief system, not a carefully crafted behavior support plan, that they refuse to implement).

Let's take a look at these children's support aides, or their teacher's, and how many hours a day they spend with them, and how less reactive, and punitive they respond to minor infractions (being irritated by a child's verbal stim is never an excuse to chastise the parents into feeling so guilty they start privately transporting their child to school, how pathetic). If ever someone was going to be tired, impatient, or potentially annoyed, it would be them (and mind you the typical bus driver in my district makes a salary greater than an aide does, but with significantly less output of work).

What about us parents, who have to bend to your every demand, and complaint because you illicit a response out of our child on a daily basis because you simply are not intelligent enough to realize YOUR FEEDING HIS NEGATIVE ATTENTION SEEKING BEHAVIOR (and failed to implement anything proactively on yourself to prevent you from being so petty).

I mean really, what is the point? Individuals who either can't tolerate all that comes with your typical special ed population (which is a huge list, you don't get to hand pick what behaviors you prefer), or lack the knowledge and willigness to learn, create a huge dis-service to those that they supposedly serve. It goes beyond being counter productive; it's down right insulting.

Some classic examples I have witnessed recently (and just for this school year alone):

"He's to silly, and makes to many animal noises" MR student, non verbal
"He winds up the other kids with his duck noises, and then I can't concentrate" MR student, non verbal
" I do not have to take this kind of verbal abuse!"ED/HFA student
"He threw a paper muffin cup, and I was in fear, and had to duck" ED/HFA student
"He plays with his spit, and it smells" AUT student
"His music is to loud coming from his headphones" Downs student

These are very typical behaviors for their respective conditions. These are children who are placed in the most restrictive placement available in the county due to their often extremely aggressive behavior/self injurous behavior. Your nit picking things like verbal stimms, and proactive stratigies (preferred music and headphones to distract from NAS behavior), when you could be dealing with much worse?

I personally say, get a new job. Your are obviously not equipped to deal with this population, and you make it evident everyday with your ridiculous overly reactive behavior, and negativity. No matter how severly affected a person is, they still can sense disdain in your voice, and dislike on your face.

So much for the happy little nursery ryhme about everything great and fun about riding the bus all through the town!