School bus driver inspired by students returns to school during pandemic and receives degrees

Attending college classes can be difficult for anyone. So, when you add on the stresses of trying to juggle a job and class, it’s no wonder some are unable to handle the workload and have to make tough decisions.

Clayton Ward was one of those students. The 30-year-old previously attended college, but between working and keeping up with classes, he was burnt out.

“I was a burn out,” he said. “School, work, it all got too much for me.”

It wasn’t until the Tennessee native moved to Massachusetts and got a job as a school bus driver that he found the inspiration to go back to school, and it came as a suggestion from the students he drove to and from school.

He should consider being a teacher.

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“That hit home for me and finally I just, was like, ‘You know what, I am going back to school,'” Ward told WCVB.

So, while he was out of a job during the pandemic, he enrolled in school.

And not only did he complete what he set out to accomplish, but he excelled.

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The 30-year-old school bus driver earned a 4.0 GPA and earned several academic awards. In the fall, he plans to continue his education towards becoming a high school history teacher.

Congratulations, Clayton! You will make an awesome teacher. I wish you all the success in the world next fall.

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