For many Rock Ridge teachers, their journeys start long before they step into the building. Their mornings start on highways and back roads across the DMV – thirty minute drives, hour long treks, and the same, tiresome commute repeated each day. 

Yet, a problem teachers around the country face – low salaries in high income areas, leading to long commutes, less connection with students, and inevitable exhaustion – does not seem to deter teachers from providing the best education possible at Rock Ridge.

Loudoun County, one of the richest counties in the country, has a median home value of $734,700, twice that of the state median. The high cost has discouraged many teachers from living in communities zoned for Rock Ridge, with an overwhelming 89.4% of teachers living outside the Rock Ridge zone, 28.8% with a 30-minute to hour-long commute, and 7.6% with more than an hour commute, based on a survey with 66 responses that The Blaze conducted.

With long commutes, a more demanding schedule, and less free time on their hands, one would think LCPS teachers would want to leave, right?

Well, according to the survey, 56.1% of teachers disagree that their commute impacts their ability to sponsor clubs and extracurriculars – in fact, many teachers see their commute as nothing more than a minor inconvenience, a small setback that doesn’t outweigh their enjoyment of teaching at Rock Ridge. 

Physics teacher, debate co-sponsor, and Science National Honor Society co-sponsor Rama Srinivasan is one of those teachers – she doesn’t live nearby because of the lack of affordable housing but still manages all her responsibilities, and more. “I used to live in Aldi before, so I wanted to live closer,” Srinivasan said. “And then we looked [at houses close to Rock Ridge], and we didn’t like any property that really was worth the money and also the cost.”

Yet Srinivasan’s 30-minute commute doesn’t stop her from dedicating more time for her students. She willingly stays after school a few days a week to host debate practice, believing that time well spent isn’t time lost – and for her, the joy of mentoring debaters outshines any long car ride. “I have seen the growth of many kids who are afraid to speak in person [and] actually develop confidence to speak in front of a lot of people [and] overcome other inhibitions, and I think that’s actually, for me, very rewarding – I do debate for that,” Srinivasan said. “I really think that in the big scheme of things, [the long commute] is what it is, and we have to face the practicality of the situation because of the real estate prices and everything else.”

Passion, motivation, and love for the job are common themes infused in many teachers, including English teacher Sara Watkins, who sponsors activities including Safer Country Club to advocate for gun violence protection – a cause she cares about. “I see value in the clubs that I do devote my time to, like there is one club that does some meetings after school each week, but I really believe in the club’s mission and what they support, and so I’m willing to take that time for the club and for the students,” Watkins said. “If there’s something I support, then it’s just because I believe in it.”

To reduce the time of her commute and avoid the burden of toll fees, Watkins has found a way to make her drive easier – instead of driving to Rock Ridge, she parks in the cul-de-sac at the neighborhood across from the school, reducing her driving time from 40 to about 25 minutes. 

Yet, living further away doesn’t come without its consequences – not all teachers have found viable shortcuts. The commute of first-year English teacher Alana Wallner, who lives in Reston, literally has taken a toll on her, as she is pretty much forced to pay the price to shorten her driving time to 30 minutes. “I live in Reston, and if I was not to take toll roads, it would take me almost twice as long, so I either pay or I [don’t] get there quicker,” Wallner said. 

High cost and low teacher salary have pushed her away from living closer, with the Workforce Dwelling Unit (WDU) housing programs incentivizing her to live in a Reston apartment, where those options were more abundant for her compared to Loudoun. As a result, she has to face the reality that comes with a farther commute. “I live alone, and I have a dog, so it is hard to do something after school and live almost 30 minutes away,” Wallner said. “I was originally going to do speech and debate, which is what I really wanted to do, but it is pretty hefty to agree to. If I had maybe less of a commute, I would be able to, but at the moment, I don’t have time after school to do that and [take care of] my dog, who has been alone for nine hours.”

Wallner isn’t alone in this struggle – science teacher Stephen Spruell faces the struggles of an hour-long commute each day. “I tend to not be able to get home until a little bit later, which means I’m missing out on time of my day, just commuting rather than being able to do some things outside of school, so I don’t really have any chance to kind of go outside and do any sort of activities,” Spruell said. “Not always, but it does kind of wear on you, especially some of those days where you’re really dragging.” 

With living closer to the school not being a feasible option, Spruell is concerned about how his commute will affect his future plans. “It’s that big realization that if I were to have kids, I would not be able to be back in time to kind of assist with these things, to get them ready, and who knows, would I be able to drop them off at school?,” Spruell said. “The cost of living here in Loudoun is quite extreme, and under my salary [and] my wife’s salary, could we make it? I live in a house now, but if I were to move out this way, I’d have to downsize into either a townhome or an apartment.”

Yet, Spruell still comes to work each day with a positive mindset, looking forward to teaching his students regardless of the commute. “It’s worth it,” Spruell said. “Rock Ridge is an amazing school, so even though I have this hour commute, it’s worth it.”

First year English teacher Caroline Walter faces a similar, nearly hour-long commute. “[The long commute] is hard because when I worked at the school that I came from out west, I was just ten minutes away from the school, so I could attend sporting events, I could go to plays,” Walter said. “[Now], the distance is just so far traveling, essentially an hour back, after I’ve already been here for eight hours. It’s just a lot.”

Yet, she still finds a silver lining through her situation. “I know for some people it can be a grind, and sometimes it does get tiring, but it’s definitely worth the price to come work here,” Walter said. “I come to Rock Ridge every day wanting to have a good day, and most of the time that’s what I get back, so I feel like it is worth the 50 minutes back and forth.”

English teacher Jessica Berg also resonates with the disadvantages of living more than 20 minutes away from the school. “I do feel some guilt when they ask me to come to the plays or to the games, and I do love doing that and helping support them in their extracurricular activities,” Berg said. “But honestly, just because my life and priorities have changed, being a mom, it would be difficult,” Berg said.

Yet, she still tries to be a part of Rock Ridge’s community as much as she can in school – as shown in her sponsorship of Ms. Phoenix, HerSports, and poetry club as well as hosting Rise To Summits through her Women and Gender Studies course. “If I were to leave Rockridge, it wouldn’t be to go to teach at another school, it would just be to leave teaching,” Berg said. “Because I just really value so much [of] our community, and I love it too much here.” 

To make the drives more manageable, many teachers spend their commute listening to podcasts, audiobooks, and different music to pass time. Walter listens to audiobooks for both her enjoyment and lesson planning. “I’m an English teacher, so I listen to a lot of the books that we are gonna be reading [in class], just to kind of remind myself, ‘Okay, what are we reading that day?’” Walter said.

In the grand scheme of things, high costs and far commutes aren’t as large of an issue as it seems on the outside – Rock Ridge teachers are prepared to drive the extra mile (literally), if it means they get to chase their passions of teaching at Rock Ridge – whether that be leading debate club, supporting student advocacy on gun violence, or sponsoring poetry club.

“I’ve had the opportunity to go to other schools, but I like it here at Rock Ridge,” English teacher Scott Schwarz, who lives an hour away, said. “I really like the administration, and I enjoy it here, so I have no desire to go to a school closer.”