As a school bus driver, I have had the privilege of driving students with special needs. While each student has unique challenges and personalities, one particular student stands out in my memory. Despite my efforts to show kindness and compassion towards him, he consistently responded with bad behavior toward me. However, I refused to give up on him and learned valuable lessons about patience, empathy, and understanding.
One day, I was assigned a new route and noticed that one of the students was very quiet. When it was time for him to step out of the van at his home stop, I said goodbye to him. However, to my surprise, he waved back at me and made a rude gesture. I was taken aback and couldn't understand why he would do such a thing.
The next day, I waved to him again, but instead of waving back, he responded by showing me his middle finger and using foul language towards me. I consulted with my colleagues, and they informed me that he had also behaved in a similar way toward other drivers. Additionally, I had also noticed that he had displayed such behavior towards his neighbors.
I tried to avoid eye contact but noticed that if I ignored him, he would get angry. That's why I decided to take action. I asked my supervisor twice to write to his school and inquire about how I could help him and what the best approach to this behavior would be. Unfortunately, my supervisor did not provide me with any reply. However, I did not let this discourage me, and I continued to show kindness and compassion toward him.
One day, I received chocolate as a Valentine's Day gift. As I drove the other students from his school, they were excitedly showing each other their gifts, but the quiet student was visibly sad. I asked his parent, who always met him at his stop if I could give him the chocolate. She gave me permission, and I gave it to him. He thanked me and showed me his middle finger, as he always did, but did not swear at this time. Nevertheless, I was happy that I had managed to do something for him, even if it was just a small gift.
Sadly, even after months of driving him, his attitude toward me doesn't change. However, I remembered what my supervisor had said during our initial discussion about meeting different students with special needs and their behaviors: "It's not about you; it's about them." Those were wise words that helped me understand that his behavior had nothing to do with me.
I noticed that before school, the student would respond positively when I asked him how he was doing by saying "Good". However, after school, the student always responded with the same two words: "Bad day". I try to be understanding of his behavior and accept that he may be going through something that causes him to act out in certain ways. Perhaps he needs to blow off some steam after school. I understand and have accepted it.
A friend of mine once shared a similar experience. He used to say "Good morning" to a colleague every day, but he was always ignored. Nevertheless, he continued to greet him every single day. After a year, his colleague finally responded. The lesson here is to never give up on someone, even when they don't seem to respond positively.
In conclusion, driving a student with special needs can be challenging, but it can also be a rewarding experience. I will continue to drive the quiet student and wish him happiness. I hope that he will find peace and acceptance in this world, and I will continue to strive for this until the end of my journey with him. The most important lesson I learned is that when we encounter challenging behavior from students with special needs, we need to approach each student with compassion, understanding, and empathy. By doing so, we can create a positive and supportive environment that can make a world of difference in the lives of our students.
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