Any school bus drivers out there? Got a ?? about proficiencies....

[maslex]

I'm pretty sure that rules/regulations and stuff are different from state to state or even town to town regarding bus rules. But I'm really stressing right now. I've been driving school bus now for 9yrs. We have to take our proficiency test every 2 years and it's always rattled my nerves when it's time but this time, it's really throwing me for a loop.

They have come out with a new way to do the brake test and it's driving me BATTY!!! Not sure you have to do this where you live, but when we go for our proficiency, we need to tell the inspector EVERYTHING we are doing and I don't know if I can remember everything in this new brake test.

Anyone else?

Our safety person gives us a list of everything we need to do for our pre-trip and then will go out with us and practices with us before our test and she gave me a way on how to remember everything but I'm not sure it's working, lol. She said to re-write everything that is on the list over & over and then it'll stick in my mind. LOL Well, I typed everything onto the computer and will re-type it over and over but so far, I'm not remembering it all that much. Maybe I should actually write it with pen/paper, maybe that'll do the trick. I've also heard that maybe if you read it out loud over & over, you'll remember things that way too.

Guess my question would be....if you had to memorize A LOT of material in a short amount of time (say 3-4 weeks) what would be your solution?

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm not a school bus driver, but I certainly know about work changing requirements and having to retake tests and such. I'll start off by offering hugs because I know I'd need them in your shoes:

A few things that really help me when I need to memorize a long string of information. I'm really bad at memorizing unconnected information, and really good at memorizing connected information, so the first thing I'd do is make sure I had made connections between the pieces of info. in my mind. I'd do this by:

1) Understand the reason behind each step: What's the point of each step, why do they make you do this. I might even put the steps on flash cards and have one side say the name of the step and the other side have the reason, and quiz myself or have someone else quiz me.

2) Practice with those cards making connections, and sequencing them. Put the cards face down, draw a card and say the step before and the step after. Play a game like the card game WAR with someone else, divide the cards in half (make doubles or quadruples if you don't have enough) and each turn up one. Whoever's step comes first wins the pair, but first they have to recite all the steps in between the two (yes, it's fine to cheat and look, but hopefully you'll have to cheat less and less frequently). Stick 4 cards to the fridge and practice looking at them, and saying the step before and the step after each time you see them. The reason you want to practice like this, and not always from the beginning is in case you freeze up or get distracted during thet test, if you've got experience starting wherever you'll get back on track more easily. Also, if you have experience going both ways (e.g. what comes before, AND what comes after) you're more likely to notice if you skip a step. Saying Step 6 makes you think of 5 and 7, so if you say 6 and you didn't say 5 you'll notice.

3) Don't type them, write them by hand, and write them in a way that's challenging so you really have to pay attention. I write things in my left hand a lot (I'm right handed) or in mirror writing, or in calligraphy, or a forge someone else's handwriting. I have a little girl I tutor and she likes to write her spelling words in a crayon held between her toes. All these things require more attention and so are more likely to make an impression.

4) Record yourself saying them, and put them on a CD or an ipod or something and listen to them as you go about the day -- play them in the car, or if you're working out, or whatever. Don't listen, don't pay attention but just let them drizzle into your subconscious.

Good luck! You can do this!

 

[smb6]

I am not a bus driver; but the memorizing technique of writing things (NOT typing) really works for me! And saying it out loud helps also. Writing pen/paper works great for me though
Good luck!