The Wheels on the Bus Didn't Go Round and Round

June 2^nd 2013

This evening us students learned some very important lessons related to teaching.

On our way back from Arenal to Santa Elena, our bus couldn’t make it uphill through a muddy, gravel road and ended up sliding off of the road into a wall of thick forestry.  Our group was tired, hot, and carsick prior to the bus getting stuck, so you can imagine the range of emotions the incident produced. 

After deliberation between our guide and bus driver, it was decided that we would have to exit the bus and wait for alternative transportation. Because of the position the bus was in, the only possible way to exit was through the emergency exit window on top of the bus.  One by one, we filed up and out of the large bus with all of our luggage and stepped onto the steep hill our bus was wedged against.  After everyone had gotten off of the bus, we slowly made our way down the hill where we had to wait for other transportation back to Santa Elena. As we waited, it grew darker outside and even started to rain.

As a whole, our group handled the situation very calmly and tried to make light of the situation.  Even when it began to pour, we all realized we were lucky of the position where the bus got stuck and knew we would be okay.

Once our alternative transportation arrived, Dr. Aram notified the group that she would be composing an email explaining the bus situation and highly recommended that we forward this email to our parents.  After she told our group about the email, I realized this entire experience could be related back to important lessons in teaching.

The first lesson was simple. Both of our professors remained calm when the bus got stuck and clearly told us how to file out of the bus and wait. As teachers, our students will look to us at the first sign of disorder, panic, or confusion in many situations.  Remaining calm and confident in these situations is key.  Secondly, us students were instructed to remain out of the way of the stuck bus and other traffic.  Even as adults, safety was the first priority just as much as it’s a priority for seven year olds.  The last lesson I learned was very applicable and I believe is a lesson teachers often overlook; taking care to inform parents and others of how the situation occurred, what the outcome was, and what measures will be taken to avoid/handle a similar type of situation in the future.  Parents care about their child’s safety no matter what age they are and Dr. Aram was wise to send out an email honestly explaining the situation before pictures, rumors, and angry calls began.  With social media usage ever on the rise, circulation of misinformation is bound to occur in similar situations and teachers should address situations like this right away.

Although we all arrived back at our homestays tired, wet, and with a camera roll full of a stuck bus, an important teaching lesson was learned and a new appreciation for paved roads was gained.