AN IRISH bus driver has adorably gone above and beyond to help raise the spirits of his students ahead of their return to school this week.
James Connor, a 56-year-old from Co. Wicklow has apparently been looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of his school bus for a long time, and has come up with a fabulous way to try and cheer the kids up a little.
His daughter Grace revealed that her father's spent the last few days writing down a list of jokes to tell the students on their first bus trip back to make the journey a little more fun.
He's also been preparing a playlist of the pupils' favourite songs to play.
Taking to Twitter, Grace wrote: "Dad is a bus driver for a special education school and is back to work on Thursday.
"He has an A4 page full of knock-knock jokes ready for the kids and a playlist picked out of their favourite songs."
Dad is a bus driver for a special education school and is back to work on Thursday. He has an A4 page full of knock knock jokes ready for the kids and a playlist picked out of their favourite songs 😭❤️
— Grace Connor (@Grace_Connor) February 8, 2021
Needless to say, news of James' gesture did the rounds on social media, and all manner of folk were tweeting Grace, telling her to pass on their gratitude to her "priceless" dad.
"Drivers like your dad make the journey for children like mine really special. He is priceless and it will not be unappreciated by the children and their parents," one Twitter user said.
"This is my fave tweet of today. The kids on his bus will be delighted! Such a lovely thing for him to do, and will be much appreciated by his passengers and their families too! Your dad has a kind heart and a beautiful soul," said one user.
Another wrote: "Words cannot express the gratitude we have for people like your Dad Grace! Please thank him sincerely."
Special schools are set to reopen at 50% capacity today, with the remaining classes set to reopen on a phased basis over the coming weeks.
