HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — On the way to school, kids need a wake-up call.
But some are lucky enough to hear more than the hum of the bus, like the tune that plays within the bus driver of Tim DeGuire.
"He'd just be belting out lyrics as he's singing on the bus." Vice Principal Keturia Williams said.
"He's an opera singer," a teacher said as they were greeting students at the bus loop at David Perdue Primary.
Everyone at the school raves over Mr. Tim.
"I want him to sing for y'all, I want you to hear it," a school server from the cafeteria said. "He is amazing."
Amazing for more than much more than just his musical abilities, the students and staff say.
"He sings, and hugs the kids, and high fives as they get off the bus," Williams said. "They love 'em."
Because the bus driver gets to make more than the wheels of the bus go round and around.
"I try to let each one of the children know in their own way, because each one is unique, that they're loved and appreciated and affirmed," Mr. Tim said.
It's a role he takes more seriously than just taking the students between home and school.
"Our bus drivers are always the first people to see our students," Principal Kathleen Gibbs said. "They're the first ones to greet them and set the tone for the day, but they're also the last ones that get to go home and see their parents."
As the children's "bookends" of the day, as Gibbs described the bus drivers, Mr. Tim enjoys his role.
"Every time it's raining, he says 'It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood' and I say it's not a beautiful day, it's raining," first-grader Jayla said.
Mr. Tim said his response to the kiddos when he sings the theme song to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is: "Yes it is, it's a beautiful day. Did you get up? Is your heart beating? Are you kicking? Then, it's a beautiful day."
He said, to him, it's important to provide a safe space as a role model for the students, as well as remind them that they're loved.
"Some of 'em don't get that affirmation as much as they need so I try to be a positive influence in their life," Mr. Tim said.
After almost two-and-a-half years driving the buses, Mr. Tim said, "Your attitude affects everything."
When his colleagues heard his voice for the first time before spring break, they said they started to encourage Mr. Tim to sing the national anthem on the morning announcements.
On special occasions, like before a long break and on the school's "Day of Awesomeness," Mr. Tim gets to sing for the school.
What goes around comes back around when you're instilling an impact beyond the bus.
"We're investing in not only children today, but also in who they're going to become in our future," Gibbs said.
She encourages anyone interested in driving school buses for Houston County to apply: "You are important and you are making a difference in our children's lives each and every day."
According to the school board, the Houston County Superintendent often says, "There are two types of employees: those who teach and those who support teachers, because everyone plays a role in the success of our students."
Houston County School District has nine bus driver positions open.
On Saturday, April 27, the district is holding a job fair for anyone interested in becoming a bus driver.
You do not need to have any experience driving buses or large vehicles to apply, the board of education said.
You can find more information about the bus driver job fair here.