Korbin Gonzales, a 4-year-old from Racine, Wis., began kindergarten in September 2025, marking his first experience riding the school bus. Despite a nearly hour-long commute, which makes him the last drop-off, Korbin consistently displays patience and politeness.
Tamica Dyson—a bus driver for 14 years and a school monitor for nine—took notice of his exceptional behavior and decided to reward him.
Korbin’s 30-year-old mother filmed the heartwarming exchange between her son, Korbin, and his bus driver, Dyson, eager to capture his joyful reaction.
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Korbin’s mother, Alexandria Gonzales, told People, “Tamica gave me a heads up of her wanting to give Korbin a goodie bag the day before.”
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The 47-year-old driver presented Korbin with a red goodie bag as he exited the bus. The bag contained a thoughtful assortment of items, including sunglasses, a smiley face squishy ball, a toy school bus, stickers, and a chocolate chip muffin.
“What made me recognize Korbin’s behavior out of the rest of my 4K [Four-Year-Old Kindergarten] kids was how calmly and safely he sat in his seat,” Dyson said.
Dyson, a mom herself, said that while she’d given gifts to her young passengers before, those were usually for special occasions like holidays and birthdays. She admitted, “This was the first time I gave one out for good behavior.”
Gonzales mentioned that she and her husband weren’t surprised by their son’s actions. Still, they were “very proud of him” and “thankful that Tamica took her time” to acknowledge and reward Korbin.
“I felt a profound sense of happiness, knowing that my son is behaving positively and respectfully when his parents are not around,” she said.
“I’d love for Korbin to always feel confident and special, and I think Tamica’s thoughtful gesture has made him feel just that.”
Reinforcing positive behavior in children can be effectively achieved through small gestures that leave a lasting impact. Dyson emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and rewarding good actions, just as much as correcting negative ones.
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Following a positive interaction with Dyson, Korbin has been enthusiastically sharing stories about the goodie bag he received from his bus driver, according to Gonzales.
“I can tell he’s proud of himself,” she shares. “I believe this will resonate with him for a long time and hopefully motivate him to continue his great behavior.”
This isn’t the first instance of a driver going above and beyond for a young passenger.
Recently, Donnice Harris, a bus driver for Jefferson County Public Schools, noticed that one of her students from Jacob Elementary School didn’t have pajamas for the school’s “Pop-up Pajama Day.”
According to WHAS11, Harris quickly responded. After dropping off the students, she went out and purchased a pajama set for him, ensuring he felt included and prepared to participate in the celebration with his class.
The Jefferson County Public Schools wrote on Facebook, “HEART OF GOLD | Huge thanks to JCPS Bus Driver Donnice Harris! When one of her Jacob Elementary riders showed up without PJs on Pop-up Pajama Day, she ran out after drop-off and bought him some. Going above and beyond to make his day!”
