Personal responsibility

The problem with PSS transportation is not the bus drivers, although teacher representative Ambrose Bennett’s recent letter to the editor on improving bus safety and security by mandating driver/passenger rule changes are generally good. Further, the problem is not the parents, although a good dose of discipline regarding reasonable conduct and common courtesy appears to be due in a few cases. The problem is with the students. No amount of lecturing, cajoling, nurturing or talks about “I understand your pain” will correct the appalling lack of personal responsibility and courtesy exhibited by some of the bus riding student population. Action—explicit and direct action—is what is needed. The solution is easy. Simply have the students clean up the buses. Have them give up their Saturday “day off” until the buses are cleaned, repainted, the graffiti removed and the seats repaired with whatever materials are at hand or can be obtained through donations. This will teach personal responsibility, as no other lesson will, without costing the taxpayers additional dollars. Yes, the innocent will work alongside the guilty in this scenario, but perhaps the innocent will explain to their guilty peers that in future it would be better for them to behave responsibly or face revelation to the authorities of their misdeeds. The vast majority of bus riding students are well behaved; as usual, it is the minority who cause problems for all.

Once cleaned up and refurbished, bus riding should be viewed as a privilege that can, and will be taken away if a student misbehaves on the bus or destroys or vandalizes public property in any way. If your kid comes home and tells you that he/she has been kicked off the bus for the next two months and you will have to drive him/her to school every day, you will probably find a way to stop this from reoccurring in the future.

I would also suggest that all riders on publicly funded school buses pay a nominal fee to help defray expenses and promote a sense of ownership. Perhaps a dime, or a quarter per student per ride. Surely this small amount would not inconvenience the families but might be sufficient to engender a certain degree of respect, especially if taken from the weekly allowance of the students. Something-for-nothing is almost always taken for granted.

One last point: I disagree with Bennett’s suggestion about putting spit cups on the bus to reduce betel nut expectoral damage. Instead, why not simply make school buses betel nut free zones, as many stores and public buildings already are. (Try spitting betel nut in the Guma Hustisia and see what happens). There is nothing wrong with chewing pugua, I enjoy it myself, but like all interpersonal relationships, a certain amount of restraint is required if good relations are to be maintained. As an example, if I invite you over for an evening of barbeque and beer and then repeatedly spit betel nut juice on your shoe, you are probably going to react, and rightfully so, in a hostile manner. There are good places to spit and bad ones. The school bus is neither the place nor the time for loud or boisterous behavior, acts of vandalism, littering or chewing betel nut. Riding the school bus is a privilege, not a right.

Bruce A. Bateman
Tanapag Village