Most of the teachers here at Delta High School are currently living in Delta, only needing to drive for maybe a few minutes. However, there are also a certain number of teachers from other towns in Colorado, some of which can be more than an hour from Delta. Those teachers take extra hours of their days to take that drive from the comfort of their home to the school—all to be a teacher. They all have different opinions, especially the ones that have to drive multiple hours.
One of the teachers with the longest drives is Delta High’s Agriculture and Welding teacher, Samantha Diaz, who comes all the way from Fruita. The average time to drive from Fruita to Delta is 57 minutes to an hour. However, Diaz’s drive stretches to three total hours. However, as long as it is, Diaz does find many ways to pass time on her drives that also happen to be similar to other teachers.
“I like to listen to podcasts and talk to people ‘cause I don’t like to sit alone in the car,” Diaz said.
The teacher with one of the second longest drives is Kelly Ryan-Johnson, Delta High’s journalism and English teacher, who comes from Paonia. The drive from Paonia to Delta is about 35 minutes. However, Johnson occasionally takes her bike to school, which is about a two-hour ride. For others, it may seem like way too much pedaling for one morning and afternoon. But for Johnson, it really helps her get started for the day, and unwind at the end of the day.
During her drives, Johnson really enjoys listening to music or news podcasts.
Getting started in the mornings is hard for many people, and taking the time to listen to a podcast can really help a person’s mind wake up. That is exactly how it is for Johnson.
“My favorite things to listen to, really, are audiobooks or podcasts. Life’s really busy, so at least I have time for those,” Johnson said. “Carpooling also helps to keep me awake on the drives home,”
Another teacher, one with one of the shorter drives, is science teacher Austin Kimber, who drives from Grand Junction. Kimber has different ways of spending his drives; one of the most popular being talking to friends on the phone. However, he usually only phones others after school since there are a lot of other teachers who are going the same way, or have similar drives as he does. Another way Kimber passes the time is similar to the other teachers, which is to listen to podcasts.
“During my commutes, I really like to gear up for the day and unwind at the end of the day,” Kimber said.
Finally, the commuter with the shortest amount of time to drive is Tabitha Hernandez who comes from Montrose. Hernandez is one of the only teachers who seems more cheerful about her drive as she gets to take her children to school as well. Unlike the other teachers, Hernandez has also expressed her excitement for true crime podcasts instead of other talk shows that different teachers may listen to on their way to Delta. As well as that, Hernandez had nothing negative to say about her drive, such as it being boring or repetitive.
“My favorite thing to do is listen to true crime podcasts—I’m like, obsessed with them,” said Hernandez. “I’ve always been fascinated with people’s motives and what drives them to do murder and things like that.”
The idea of commuting may come off as boring to other teachers, but these four seem to enjoy their drives. There is always something new that could happen, which eases the boredom or repetition that others may face. However, there are a few downsides to driving these many miles; one of which is gas prices.
Gas prices have gone up an astronomical amount during Covid-19, which made it hard for people to afford gas. Many people resorted to taking their bikes like Johnson, or even walking long distances to get to a destination. Driving is helpful for long distances, and so is gas. But there are also other problems that may come into place, such as mechanical problems.
For some commuters, wear and tear can be a problem even on an older vehicle. However, some have different perspectives depending on what they drive. For example, Kimber said “I don’t care that much to put miles on my car. Tires are cheaper, and it gets good gas mileage.”
Weather and overall wear-and-tear really takes its toll on vehicles. People most likely experience mechanical problems during the winter, as the cold and gloom can wear down on metal, or even technology within a car. Fancier cars have more problems than older cars, especially if there is a lot of technology in it. Car companies such as Tesla have worked to fix problems people may be having with their cars. However, even after a fix, the older vehicles still seem to last longer.
