Safe on and off the bus;

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GARY SMITH Media assistant and experienced bus driver Connie Sorzano, right, supervises an exit fire drill for bus riders at T.C. Martin Elementary School in Bryantown. Exiting is first-grader Matthew Ashburn, with help from fifth-graders Kevin Cover, left, and Chris Turner. Waiting his turn is Noah Kanter. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Everyone folds their bodies onto the floor, legs crossed and arms in, so no one will trip over anyone else.

Timmons then began her bus safety lecture.

‘‘Don’t stand up when the bus moves,” Timmons said. ‘‘Keep your hands to yourself. And don’t bother the bus driver when you get on and off the bus.”

The children at T.C. Martin are quick to cooperate with their teachers and administrators. T.C. Martin has been a PBIS Exemplar School for the past five years.

PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

In the past, children were punished, suspended or reprimanded for inappropriate behavior. PBIS introduces children to positive behavior, and reinforces that behavior when it is exhibited by the student.

At T.C. Martin, children are made aware of what is expected of them.

‘‘If we don’t teach them what those behaviors are,” Timmons said, ‘‘then you can’t expect them just to know.”

One thing the staff and teachers at T.C. Martin did was to play a mock game show, ‘‘Are You Smarter Than a T.C. Martin Tiger?”

‘‘We give the children a scenario, and then we give them three choices and have them pick out the right behavior,” Timmons said. ‘‘For instance, we ask them, ‘What behavior do we expect when we have a substitute? Do you run around the room, act like your favorite wild animal or follow the rules.’ The children always pick the right answer.”

To further impress upon the children that good behavior pays off, the school will issue Martin Money whenever they see any child exhibiting those correct behaviors.

Martin Money can be used to purchase incentives such as lunch with a favorite teacher or a trinket from the trinket stash the teacher keeps just for that purpose.

On Bus Behavior Day, the students were challenged to be especially good for their bus drivers.

There was a large board set up with each of the school’s 16 school buses represented. There were nine school bus stops. Every week, the bus riders who received no reprimands from their bus driver were able to advance one stop. The first bus to make it home will win a treat such as popcorn, popsicles or extra recess.

The children aren’t the only ones who need good behavior, bus drivers say.

Connie Sorzano is now a substitute bus driver, but she was a full-time driver for 23 years.

‘‘The biggest problem is the cars,” Sorzano said. ‘‘They just keep on coming, even when we are at a stop. Some places in the county are worse then others, especially Waldorf. If a car doesn’t stop and we can see the license plate number, then we report them to the traffic safety division of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.”

A violation can cost a motorist $570 in fines and result in three points on their license, according to a press release from the Maryland State Police.

‘‘I can’t do anything about it if there are a lot of cars behind me if there isn’t a safe place to pull over,” Sorzano said. ‘‘They are just going to have to bear with me. Everything is safety; safety of the children and safety of you.”

The students demonstrated their good line behavior as they lined up to board the bus for a mock bus evacuation drill. Timmons had everyone recite the T.C. Martin Tiger pledge.

‘‘I am respectful, responsible and ready to learn,” all the children responded.

Along with line behavior, the students must learn to demonstrate good behavior in all areas of the school. Cafeteria behavior means going through the line politely, watching your good table manners and being quiet. Hallway behavior means getting into straight lines and not talking while going through a hallway.

‘‘We practice till they get it right,” Timmons said.

Alexis Halbleib, a fifth-grader from Hughesville, has been at T.C. Martin for two years.

‘‘I enjoyed the fire drill,” Alexis said. ‘‘I like the school spirit here at the school. I also like that I don’t have to wear a uniform.”

Kelly Craft is a fourth-grade teacher at the school.

‘‘I like the Tiger Pledge,” Craft said. ‘‘It makes the students more accountable. If we have a question about something, we can always refer back to the pledge. We also say the Tiger Pledge every morning. Every child is getting the same message, with the same language and the same wording.”

The children practiced the bus evacuation. The fifth-graders were charged with opening the emergency exits in the bus and making sure everyone got out.

Everyone calmly alternated seats as they left the bus, youngest to oldest, with the older children helping the littler ones. ‘‘Remember,” Timmons said, ‘‘We need to practice this. We need to be able to get you to and from school safely.”