It is a long, windy and often costly road to Saratoga High from Santa Cruz. To adapt to the 25-mile commute, a handful of English teachers have come up with a plan to make every morning a little bit smoother.
This year, English teachers Suzanne Herzman, Natasha Ritchie, Amy Keyes and Kerry Mohnike have devised a system to carpool with each other saving money, protecting the environment and sharing information while doing so.
Almost every day since the beginning of the school year, the four meet in Scotts Valley at 6:40 and from there have carpooled to school.
This year, however, has been different from recent years. During Herzman’s first year teaching at Saratoga, she began carpooling with other teachers who lived around her area.
“When I started at SHS two years ago, [journalism teacher Michael Tyler] and I figured out that we live on the same side of town in Santa Cruz so we ended up driving together 2-3 times a week,” Herzman said. “The same year, [Ritchie], [Mohnike] and I would drive together on Wednesdays.”
For this school year, the teachers run a tight schedule that allows for them to return home early to take care of their children—Herzman and Ritchie both had children last year.
“We have to be organized and know our schedule ahead of time,” Ritchie said. “We try to keep a strict regiment so if we say we are going to leave at a certain time, then we will leave by that certain time.”
The teachers have plenty to talk about during their 40-minute ride. They use the time to discuss the material they are teaching and prepare themselves for future classes.
“It’s like having a moving teachers’ lounge,” Herzman said. “It give me a chance to bounce ideas off of my colleagues.”
They also chat about their children and catch up with each other each other’s home lives.
“We also talk about our kids and other family-related things,” Ritchie said. “It’s nice, and it makes the time go by a lot faster in my opinion.”
While the carpooling may seem like a picture perfect setup for a teacher’s commute to school, there are a few complications that at times hamper the process.
“When there are conflicts with schedules, we take separate cars,” Ritchie said. “If that happens, then at least two of us will carpool together.
The trip to school can also potentially cause trouble. If they get trapped in traffic, then all of the teachers traveling together can arrive to school late.
“Highway 17 can be insanity: Accidents, mudslides, and tourists,” Herzman said. “I don’t want to jinx us, but we’ve had a good year so far.”
Even with all of the potential issues, the rewards of carpooling are beneficial in many ways.
“I did my calculations, [and] it takes about $7 a day to drive over the hill,” Ritchie said. “So it helps the environment, saves some money, and it’s a nice time to plan and talk.”