Job Discussion Forums

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:20 pm Post subject: Making the bus monitor cry

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/22/karen-klein-bullying-video-residents

Fuller clips are available on YouTube.

I agree with some of the comments on the Guardian saying that elderly passive people shouldn't really be doing this kind of work, but for all I know it might've been a low- or even unpaid voluntary position.

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:40 pm Post subject:

Dear fluffyhamster,

School bus drivers are seldom (if ever) "voluntary" positions (although I suppose there might be a few doing it in private schools). However, it is a very low-paid (often minimum wage) job, and the driver here was working for a public school.

Personally, I doubt that kids today are any "meaner" than they have ever been, but thanks to technology, we can now get to see more evidence of such meanness.

Maybe the saddest part of the story is this:

"But in an era when antics can go from schoolbus to international audience in a matter of minutes, the children's names and addresses have aready been published, while they have witnessed international condemnation of their parents and received thousands of threats of violence."

Duh - it's amazing, isn't it, that those issuing such "threats" don't even see the irony?

Regards,
John

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Dear Johnslat:

The poor lady wasn't a school bus driver - she was a school bus monitor.
Some new invention, and certainly very poorly-paid, if it's paid at all.

I wonder what the job description for a monitor is, but for certain it doesn't include taking crap from middle-school bullies!!

Best,
spiral

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:14 pm Post subject:

Dear spiral78,

You're quite right - my mistake,. Well, actually my and the Wall Street Journal's mistake:

"Taunted NY bus driver doesn't want bullies charged"

Very Happy

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP96e4beca84644d889c6d90af8ecdefc4.html#articleTabs%3Dcomments

And yes - monitors are not well paid:

"Salary
As of 2010, the U.S. national average annual salary of a school bus monitor is $26,699, according to CBSalary.com."

http://www.ehow.com/about_6674120_bus-monitor-job-description.html#ixzz1yd8Gi0M4

Regards,
John

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:22 pm Post subject:

The threats of violence against the kids are indeed silly and counterproductive. And the "sticks and stones" we tell children to toughen them to taunting should apply even moreso to adults - if you work with kids, you need to be able to suck it up a bit (I mean, you can't always nip it in the bud before anything hurtful gets uttered). That being said, the taunting in this instance was excessive and sustained, and I don't really know what the woman could've really done to stop it (me, I'd've been a mix of disappointed, irritated, and slightly angry, and perhaps shown it more) other than preempt it by engaging with the horrid blighters (assuming they'd be up for talking at all civilly to her); and doubtless her feelings were hurt (as there's another slightly earlier Guardian piece, just the video with "blurb" really, that informs us that her son had actually taken his own life 10 years before), re. one of the kids saying that if they were her family they'd kill themselves. So giving the kids too easy a ride (excuse the pun) would be tough in this case.

sparks · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 632

I agree that the kids were behaving awfully and should be punished accordingly but...
If the woman is a monitor, she should have shut down the threats immediately using whatever methods are appropriate. At my current job I ride the school bus coming and going to the school and "monitor" the kids. While they never make remarks about me personally, they do argue and sometimes engage one another inappropriately. It is necessary to confront them and threaten some sort of consequence at times whether it be telephone calls to parents, telling the director of the school etc. I can't imagine just sitting by and taking the abuse, granted I'm a larger-sized youngish guy but maybe that says something about who should be doing these types of jobs

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 5:18 pm Post subject:

Which (for me) raises the question of what was the driver doing all this time.

He/she certainly must have seen/heard what was going on, and, in my opinion, should have pulled the bus over to the side of the road and intervened.

Regards,
John

P.S. On the other hand, had he/she done so, the monitor would probably not be half a million dollars richer right now Very Happy

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 5:32 pm Post subject:

With all that cash she could maybe set up a Center for Bullying Children (and/or Bullied Adults). Smile