'You Should Be My Teacher': Students Inspire Framingham Bus Driver To Earn College Degree

FRAMINGHAM (CBS) -- A school bus driver in Framingham says he was inspired by the students on his bus to go back to the classroom and earn a college degree. Clayton Ward recently completed an associate degree in liberal arts from MassBay Community College and is on his way to becoming a high school history teacher.

Ward, a Tennessee native, dropped out of college 10 years ago and eventually moved to Massachusetts and started driving a school bus for the city of Framingham. He told CBS News that the kids on the bus gave him the motivation to go back to school himself.

"I got the inspiration [to go back] after talking specifically to my high schoolers about a passion of mine, which is history," Ward said. "Just talking with them a little bit about history ... it inspired me, especially hearing them say, 'You should be my teacher.'"

Ward enrolled at MassBay in May 2019, and continued to do his bus routes every morning and afternoon. He's made the Dean's List every semester with a 4.0 GPA and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society.

This fall, Ward will attend Framingham State University as he pursues a bachelor degree in history, with a minor in secondary education.

He told CBS News he has a message for the high schoolers on his bus who inspired him.

"You guys mean so much to me. I thank you for every time we were able to talk," Ward said. "It gave me more of a drive, more ambition to go [to school]."