Bay of Plenty bus drivers are being "hit, attacked and verbally abused" by unruly children, prompting reporter Kiri Gillespie to question where did this lack of respect all go wrong? Photo / File
Bay of Plenty bus drivers are being "hit, attacked and verbally abused" by unruly children, prompting reporter Kiri Gillespie to question where did this lack of respect all go wrong? Photo / File
COMMENT: Is a little respect so hard to come by?
This week, we published a news story revealing Bay of Plenty bus drivers were being "hit, attacked and verbally abused" by unruly children.
Drivers said some children also drank alcohol, smoked and vaped on their buses.
Whowould want to be a bus driver these days?
I think the problem goes deeper than just the bus. I wouldn't describe myself as old, yet I recall referring to my teachers by their honorific and their last name. Now, I hear of students addressing teachers by their first name only.
Even those in some of the most-respected professions, such as policing, can't escape the lack of respect. Watching one Police Ten-7 episode is all the evidence we need for that.
This week, Official Information Act figures released to NZME showed there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. Of those assaulted, 18 ended up in hospital and 221 needed medical treatment. That was 50 more cases needing medical treatment than a year earlier.
Children misbehaving on a bus isn't the same as a person assaulting a police officer but the seed to such behaviour must start somewhere. A lot of it comes down to respect of others, for elders and for yourself - all lessons that should begin at home, but I fear too often are not.
Treating others with respect should be a cornerstone lesson in growing up. I would like to think this life lesson is continued through our schooling. However, when your children are speaking to teachers like mates rather than role models, perhaps we are creating more of a monster than we realise.
Constable Ardon Hayward, of Rotorua police, was attacked with the blunt end of a tomahawk. Photo / File
If children are not expected to treat teachers (often the first authoritative figures many will meet) with respect then it should be of no surprise such behaviour is mirrored when they catch the school bus home.
But it's not all down to this weird evolution of schooling.
Young people are sponges soaking up every little bit of society around them. If we, as adults, are attacking someone because we don't agree with something - you can bet that behaviour is going to rub off if young eyes are watching.
So the next time your bus is late or the route has changed, think twice before criticising the driver. Is that crude remark really needed? Be the bigger person. Be that role model for our young people.
