A heartwarming picture of a bus driver comforting a scared boy on his first day of School is going viral on social media. The photo shows the driver holding the hands of the child.
The first day of school can be both exciting and terrifying at the same time — particularly if it’s your first day ever, as was the case with a scared Wisconsin four-year – old. But he managed to get over his anxiety with a little support from a caring bus driver.
Axel and his mother, Amy Johnson, were “pretty excited” waiting for the bus in Augusta before it came time to actually get on.
“When he saw me around the corner he was all laughing and I started slowing down and that’s when you could see his face beginning to shift,” his bus driver, Isabel “Izzy” Lane, told WEAU.
Without his mom’s encouragement, the frightened boy wouldn’t get on the bus so she picked him up and took him onboard, trying to give him a pep talk.
“He began to cling to me and I told him, ‘Buddy, you’ve got this and there’s going to be so much fun! “said Johnson to Fox 7.
But despite his mom’s words of encouragement, Axel was still frightened, tears flowing down his red face.
“She had placed him down in the seat and as she was trying to get off the bus, he kept trying to grab her,” Lane said. Then she reached back and took hold of his hand to console him.
“I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal … I think it’s just something I ‘d be doing,” Lane said.
This is when Johnson took a heart-warming moment picture. She had intended to get a picture of her son happily going off to his first school day, although it could be even better what she got instead.
The photo she captured is a perfect example of how a simple gesture of kindness can make a big difference, with Lane holding Axel ‘s hand.
“I think it’s all right for someone if you see someone struggling to do something that’s as easy as putting out a hand and showing you ‘re there,” Lane said. “You have nothing to say but just telling someone you are there makes a huge difference in someone’s day.”
Clearly it worked, because Axel wasn’t any longer so nervous the next day.
“The day after he was all alone waiting at the bus stop, he got on all the smiles and all the time talking to me so now he’s doing much better,” Lane said.
Lane ‘s actions have captured the community ‘s attention, with the local police department posting the photo on their Facebook page.
“Here is one of our fantastic bus drivers, Miss Lane, on her first day of school holding the hand of a frightened little kid! The love that we see every day is truly inspiring in our students, bus drivers, custodians, administrators, food service workers and para-professionals.
We are so lucky to have the ability to work with those people! “Edited by the police department.
“I love having kind hearted people in my community and Izzy is certainly that,” Johnson said of the bus driver.
