Bus Driver Keeps Little Girl On Bus After Other Children – Says It’s Due To Her Hair

Oct 15, 2020

Isabella Pieri's mother passed away when she was only 9 years old. Isabella's father did the best he could with her hair, but he was not skilled with the braids that Isabella liked to wear. Often, Isabella would step on the bus in the morning feeling unhappy about her appearance.

Both she and her father were stressed after this ordeal daily. One of the first adults to encounter Isabella each morning after she left home was Tracy Dean, a bus driver for Alpine School District in Utah, who stepped in to help back in 2018.

According to NBC News, Tracy is a mother of four children. She has a child who is approximately Isabella's age, so she understands the challenges that Isabella and her father face every morning.

Isabella saw Tracy helping another girl with her hair so the then 11-year-old got up the courage to ask Tracy if she could help her with her own hair. 

Isabella's father Philip works long hours at his job, and would attempt to fix his daughter's hair when she needed it, reports Good Morning America. 

"She'd get mad at me for pulling her hair," Philip said. "I didn't know how to do it. One day [Isabella] came home and it looked beautiful. I call her my princess and she looks the part, she plays the part and her confidence is way up, which is what I've been intending."

Isabella's mother passed away in 2016 from a rare brain illness, according to Philip. 

At the beginning, Tracy spent a few minutes every morning doing a single braid or two French braids and began to teach Isabella how to do it for herself. Once Isabella started to work on her own hair, she gained more confidence in herself as well. 

"She'd get on the bus and she'd say, 'I brushed my hair. Does it look good?'" Tracy said. "I'll say, 'You did awesome.'"

Both Isabella and her father are grateful that Tracy has stepped in to help, and that she took that extra step in reigniting some confidence for Isabella.

What do you think about the impact that she is having on Isabelle’s life? Have you had an experience like this in your life? Our readers are eager to learn about your experiences, so leave a few comments.