Blog

School’s Starting Back Up

School’s starting back up, and that means so are the buses. As you prepare to safely transport our children to and from school each day, what training do you need to make sure you are ready for the upcoming year?

The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) offers online certification courses as part of the professional development series, to meet your yearly training requirements and ensure you are armed with the tools needed for a successful school year.

To view the entire catalog or obtain more information, visit click here.

Posted in Blog on August 5th, 2014. No Comments.



The “Trickle-up” Effect

Almost every revolutionary trend that ripples through the modern world—especially those with a technological basis—gets its initial toehold among the younger members of society. Online education provides an excellent example.

High school and college-age students have been on the e-learning bandwagon for well over a decade now. To the vast majority of teens and 20-somethings, there is nothing odd or somehow inferior about taking a course online. Web-based education is seen as being every bit as valid as classroom education. In fact, it is often viewed as the more effective, more desirable method.

One of my tasks in working for Smart Horizons—the parent company for School Training Solutions (STS)—has involved interviewing both students and educators about their experiences with STS and another great Smart Horizons program called Career Online High School. One comment I’ve heard more consistently than any other focuses around how much better it was to take classes online where a person can move at their own pace in their own space without the distractions and inconveniences associated with most classroom experiences.

Many students with whom I’ve spoken had all but given up on their educational and/or training goals until they finally got out of traditional classroom settings and got online.

Now for that trend I’ve spotted among friends, acquaintances and colleagues.

A few years ago, many members of the “older generation” (middle-aged and beyond) were not prone to see online coursework as a valid form of education. They had grown up in classrooms, so to speak, and there was just no way taking classes online could possibly substitute for sitting at your desk during the specified time interval with a teacher standing in front of you. In fact, during my 11 years as an administrator at Pensacola State College (PSC), I have frequently heard such sentiments spoken by members of the PSC faculty.

Then, and it seemed to happen almost overnight, I stopped getting these vibes from the over-40 crowd. I call this the “trickle-up” effect. Often, those of us who have passed a certain age are hauling around a lot more psychological baggage than youngsters who tend to be a sponge for all things new and innovative. That baggage can be quite a barrier, but it is one well worth tossing aside!

Now, more and more, I hear people who are well into their professional careers talking excitedly about how e-learning opportunities can either enhance their current employment situations or serve as a catalyst to launch them in entirely new directions.

And yes, members of the PSC faculty seem to have reached a point of complete acceptance of online classes as a vital component of 21st-century learning.

I might add that STS is a great place to start!

Andrew Metzger
Guest blogger
School Training Solutions

Featured Course:

Try our featured course and enhance your ability to deal with the dynamics of serving as an administrator.

Title: Time Management

Description: This 1-hour professional development course discusses the principles of time management. It highlights time management myths, outlines the symptoms of poor time management, and provides methods for utilizing good time management practices.

 
Sign-up for our Featured Course

Posted in Blog on July 29th, 2014. No Comments.



Thank you WVAPT Members

Thank you for visiting our booth at the 2014 WVAPT Tradeshow in Snoeshoe, WV. I enjoyed seeing everyone again this year! While there are a lot of trends in the pupil transportation industry, the two most popular topics I discussed with booth visitors were:

 

1. West Virginia Testing AND Training – Online. – Each active training account includes access to the Certification or Re-certification test for school bus drivers and a full curriculum of West Virginia school bus driver classroom training, professional development courses, and additional transportation courses.

 

2. National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Professional Development Series – Online. – NAPT, in partnership with School Training Solutions (STS), offers NAPT Professional Development Series courses online. You can begin working on Certified Pupil Transportation Specialist (CPTS), Certified Supervisor (CSPT), and Certified Director (CDPT) certificates or work toward your recertification.

 

Our full catalog is available on the website, and I’ve also linked directly to it in this email.

Thanks again for visiting the booth! Let me know if you need anything.

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

Posted in Blog on July 18th, 2014. No Comments.



Hello Iowa. RAGBRAI starts soon and I wish I were there.

This time last year I was on my way to Fort Madison to meet up with bicyclists from across the nation. We bused across Iowa to Council Bluffs for the start of RAGBRAI. July 20-26 marks the event for 2014.

Since I am feeling a bit nostalgic and it’s technically Throwback-Thursday, I wanted to share a blog entry about our RAGBRAI adventure AND offer our online “Sharing the Road” course for the discounted rate we offered last summer.

 

It has been another long day of travel and acclamation. We got up early to load bikes and luggage into their respective trucks for the trek from one side of the state to the other. Our destination was Council Bluffs… Read More.

 

Discounted Course Info:

Title: Sharing the Road

Duration: 2 Hours

Description: Some of the most deadly accidents on the road involve two-wheeled vehicles, buses, and trucks. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 4,008 accidents involving motorcycles resulted in death in 2004. The statistics for that year, from the U.S. Department of Transportation Analysis and Information Online, show that 4,902 accidents involving trucks resulted in death. Bus accidents also proved to be particularly dangerous that year, with 279 buses involved in accidents resulting in death. Keeping these statistics in mind, it becomes apparent that drivers must learn to share the road with cars, trucks, buses, and large vehicles. This course also discusses motorists’ duty to pedestrians and both motorists’ and pedestrians’ duty to school buses and emergency vehicles.

The objectives for this lesson are:

• RECALL special rules for sharing the road with a truck.
• RECALL special rules for sharing the road with a two-wheeled vehicle.
• IDENTIFY motorists’ responsibilities to pedestrians.
• IDENTIFY both motorists’ and pedestrians’ responsibilities to emergency vehicles.

Enroll Now


Disclaimers:
Existing Customers: This course may already be included in your training catalog. Contact us if you have any questions. This Sharing the Road online course is part of our Driving Safely, defensive driving curriculum. This Sharing the Road online course does not count toward any State Specific Certification Curriculum requirements we offer online. Upon successful completion of this stand-alone course, a certificate of completion is available for download. Contact us if you have any questions: 1-800-261-6248.

Posted in Blog on July 17th, 2014. No Comments.



STS will be at the WVAPT Trade Show

STSSchool Training Solutions will be in Snowshoe at the West Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation Conference.

School Training Solutions (STS) provides an online option for school bus driver training and testing, as well as professional development training to school district employees. Our online curriculum provides a convenient and budget-friendly training option to meet state requirements and professional development goals.

See the courses we offer here.

If you have any questions about our training, would like to see a demonstration of our courses, or would like to meet with me to discuss training options, stop by the booth, give us a call, or visit the website for more information.

Posted in Blog on July 10th, 2014. No Comments.



Recent Posts




Copyright 2009 School Training Solutions® - All rights reserved - Terms of Use | Privacy Policy