'I think it's worth it': Teenager kayaks to school in response to school's bus driver shortage
Updated: 5:34 AM EDT Nov 5, 2021
No school bus? No problem. A seventh-grade student in Colorado has a solution of his own. Instead of taking the bus to school in the morning, he hops in his kayak. Josh Smith's school district has a problem like many others across the nation: A shortage of bus drivers."When I began school, it was kinda hard every day," Smith told KUSA. "I'd have to text or call my mom and say like should I ride the bus today? Will they allow me to ride the bus today?"Eventually, Smith got an idea and pitched it to his dad. "One night around dinner, Josh just said, 'Hey Dad, would you mind if I kayaked to school?' And, some kids if they say that, you just kind of laugh if off and say yeah, sure, no problem," Jason Smith said. "But, if I knew if he asked it, he was probably planning on doing it and I needed to be careful in my response."Now, Josh heads to school by water if the conditions are right. It's a two-mile journey that requires him to get up a little earlier, but Josh says he doesn't mind. "I really like how every time I do it the sun rises like when I'm in the middle of the lake and the whole lake is really smooth like glass," Josh told KUSA. "I just think it's really pretty and stuff and I think it's worth it."While Jason Smith could drive Josh to school instead, he said it was important to support his son's idea. "When my now 13-year-old boy approaches me and wants to do something out of his comfort zone, wants to stretch himself a little bit, wants to do something different, something unique, that's a challenge," Jason Smith said. "I gotta back that up."News of Josh's kayak commute has been shared throughout his community."I think that everyone is just intrigued by it because they never heard anything like it," Josh said. When the weather gets too cold, Josh already has his next mode of transportation lined up. "When the lake freezes over and when it's too cold for me to do it, I'm gonna cross country ski to the school," he said. "So, I'm gonna cross country ski across the lake."
No school bus? No problem.
A seventh-grade student in Colorado has a solution of his own. Instead of taking the bus to school in the morning, he hops in his kayak.
Josh Smith's school district has a problem like many others across the nation: A shortage of bus drivers.
"When I began school, it was kinda hard every day," Smith told KUSA. "I'd have to text or call my mom and say like should I ride the bus today? Will they allow me to ride the bus today?"
Eventually, Smith got an idea and pitched it to his dad.
"One night around dinner, Josh just said, 'Hey Dad, would you mind if I kayaked to school?' And, some kids if they say that, you just kind of laugh if off and say yeah, sure, no problem," Jason Smith said. "But, if I knew if he asked it, he was probably planning on doing it and I needed to be careful in my response."
Now, Josh heads to school by water if the conditions are right. It's a two-mile journey that requires him to get up a little earlier, but Josh says he doesn't mind.
"I really like how every time I do it the sun rises like when I'm in the middle of the lake and the whole lake is really smooth like glass," Josh told KUSA. "I just think it's really pretty and stuff and I think it's worth it."
While Jason Smith could drive Josh to school instead, he said it was important to support his son's idea.
"When my now 13-year-old boy approaches me and wants to do something out of his comfort zone, wants to stretch himself a little bit, wants to do something different, something unique, that's a challenge," Jason Smith said. "I gotta back that up."
News of Josh's kayak commute has been shared throughout his community.
"I think that everyone is just intrigued by it because they never heard anything like it," Josh said.
When the weather gets too cold, Josh already has his next mode of transportation lined up.
"When the lake freezes over and when it's too cold for me to do it, I'm gonna cross country ski to the school," he said. "So, I'm gonna cross country ski across the lake."
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