PICTURED: Bus driver Irene Lockwood reads along with fourth-graders Andrea Robel, left, and Shelbi Bartholomew during lunch. Photo by Dennis Stierer.

Learning doesn't start or stop when the school bell rings. Especially not on Irene Lockwood's school bus.

Several years ago, the 17-year veteran driver found an answer to that troublesome five-to-10-minute wait at the end of the morning school bus run.

"In the morning kids can be rambunctious," said Lockwood, a member of the Springville Educational Employees Association in Erie County, led by James Piscitelli. "I turned around one day and asked if they wanted a story."

When the Springville Elementary kids cried "yes," she brought out The Monster at the End of This Book - the favorite book of her daughter, who is now a teacher and member of the East Aurora Faculty Association.

"They loved it. So every day I started bringing in a book," Lockwood recalled. "Then I had kids bringing in books for me to read."

The program grows

It seemed everyone who heard about reading on the school bus loved it. Within two years, the district wrote for grant monies to pay for books that could be designated for the bus rides.

A council of drivers developed a name - "Riding the Road to Success" - and two bus drivers, Joan Martinez and Adam Smith, created artwork for a logo.

The program, running in 11 buses this fall, has increased the access children have to books and the amount of time they spend reading as well as improving behavior on the bus, district officials said.

"It has gotten a lot bigger than I thought it would," said Lockwood. Now, along with the bus driver reading a story to younger students, each bus has a book bag for kids to select books to read themselves or to each other.

"I remember before we had this, a lot of kids would goof off," said Andrea Robel, now a fourth-grader at Springville Elementary. "I love it because now everybody just reads."

That's pretty much what Lockwood had in mind four years ago.

"Safety is the primary concern of all bus drivers," Lockwood said, adding she is surprised that the novelty has yet to wear off.

"Once we started the reading program, I've found that discipline problems almost disappear. They want to get to school so we can start reading."

- by BETSY SANDBERG

Want to start a similar reading program? Here are some tips from the Springville-Griffith district:

• Make sure the program is voluntary. It may not work on every bus route because of students' ages or the wait may not be long enough.

• Have students serve as bus librarians to keep track of the books with the bags. Support these children as they encourage the responsible use of books.

• Ask teachers and librarians for recommendations on books to read and students to become bus librarians.

• Schedule follow-up meetings so drivers can share success stories and problem-solving strategies.

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