This Nashville school bus driver gives out gift cards for good grades and hats and gloves in the cold

Traci Garrett doesn't just drive a school bus.

She teaches her elementary school students to tie their shoes and cover their mouths when they cough.

She rewards her middle school students with $5 gift cards to the Dollar Tree and Walmart when they get As and Bs on their report cards.

She reminds her high school students to be selective of the company they keep and encourages them to follow a good path.

And, in the cold weather months, she buys hats and gloves for any child at her bus stops that may not have any of their own.

Her acts of unconditional kindness come straight from her heart — in support not only of the kids she takes to school every day, but also their families.

"I'm just trying to spread a little love, that’s all," Garrett says humbly.

'She really loves the kids. She really cares.'

She could use a little love herself. Most Nashville school bus drivers could.

The Nashville public schools district has approximately 630 buses that make more than 26,000 stops on any given day. A bus driver can sometimes be the first smile a child sees each morning on the way to school.

Garrett sees the importance of that role. 

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She has been driving a Nashville school bus since 2015. Every day that school is in session, she picks up and drops off for students at Bellshire Elementary Design Center, Madison Middle and Hunters Lane High School.

But it's more than just a bus ride.

Most of the kids she drives come from low-income families.She knows many of their parents personally. Sometimes mom doesn't have a car. Other times a student has four or five other siblings to help care for.

Garrett steps in and does what she can, driving parents to teacher conferences on her own time and volunteering at the elementary school for events like field day.

"Traci is a caring and compassionate person," said mom Liz Hamlett, whose daughter and son have ridden Garrett's bus. "She really loves the kids. She really cares what happens with the ones that ride her bus."

Taking notice and giving praise

Both Hamlett's children have been recipients of Garrett's generosity. Hamlett's seventh grade son even brought home a Walmart gift card for good grades. The positive reinforcement goes a long way, his mom said.

"He's seeing, 'Hey, I get praise for acting right,'" Hamlett said. "I encourage him, too, but when other people praise your kids sometimes they listen better."

Bus drivers, Hamlett said, "don't get the appreciation they deserve. To me, it's not just a job driving that bus because you have to take care of so many kids. You don't ever know what a kid is going through at home, so on the bus or at school you have to talk to them."

You have to really notice them, and Garrett does. If a child needs clothes because she has been wearing the same thing every day, Garrett helps. If another child boards the bus cold because he doesn't have a coat, Garrett makes arrangements to get one.

Yet, Garrett remains unassuming about her positive actions. 

"I just try to do as much as I can for them," Garrett says. "It's hard for the smaller ones. 

"If the community just got involved a little more ...," she adds. Then she trails off. She knows the need is great.

But one person can make a difference. And for families like Hamlett's who have experienced Garrett's kindness, there's just one thing to say: "She’s exceptional."

Reach Jessica Bliss at 615-259-8253 and jbliss@tennessean.com or on Twitter @jlbliss and please support local journalism.

About Season to Give: Supporting Nashville's neediest students

The Tennessean's annual Season to Give series traditionally engages in helping local nonprofits. This year, our focus is on Nashville's poorest students and classrooms in hopes of inspiring the community to support education in this city and kids who need extra love and support.

Nashville: It's time for you to adopt a teacher

The Tennessean's Adopt-a-Teacher initiative allows the community to help refill teachers' classroom supplies or buy necessary extras to make the second half of the year as successful as the first.

Hundreds of Nashville public schoolteachers have registered and uploaded their wish lists. This month, we share those wishes with Nashville, encouraging individuals and local business to fulfill them.

The teacher's lists are available for adoption through Dec. 31. All in time for the giving season!

You can adopt a teacher at: AdoptATeacher.Tennessean.com.