BATAVIA, Ohio — A local school bus driver devised a unique idea for managing student behavior on her bus while providing a learning experience for kindergarten students.

Debbie Longbottom has driven a school bus for 25 years — 20 of those years at Batavia Local School District. She has driven every route in the district and transported all grade levels. This year, she transports high school students to a vocational school campus in the morning and picks them up in the afternoon. She also takes morning kindergarten students home and picks up afternoon kindergarten students for transport to school.

The kindergarten children have grown to enjoy Longbottom’s storytelling. One day, the students asked if they could make up stories and tell them to the other passengers. Longbottom decided that she preferred students to bring books on the bus that they were able to read. She would have students read to the others via the bus intercom.

Longbottom reminds the kindergartners that she has to drive the bus and cannot look at the book to help them with the words — they need to be able to read the words by themselves.

Occasionally, a student has trouble with a word, but Longbottom has identified several exceptional kindergarten readers who try to help the reader. If they cannot sound out a word, they spell the word to her so she can help.

When she mentioned her idea to the kindergarten teachers, they gave her some books that contain sight words the students should recognize.

Kindergarten teacher Jeanne Rasfeld and her Batavia associates see Longbottom’s program as excellent practice for the students. “Our students are very excited to have a turn to read,” she said.

Longbottom’s idea has grown from an extension of the classroom to a lesson in good manners when riding the bus. She will not allow the children to read unless the others are quiet.

Longbottom was recognized for her effort at the March 2005 Batavia Board of Education meeting.

“This is a wonderful thing that Debbie is doing,” said Michael Enriquez, a school board member. “In my view, this is above and beyond the call of duty.”