Quote of the week - supportive department chair

This is unprofessional, but you may want to consider scheduling your leave for a time when your child will need you, say when she is three years old. They need you more at that time.

I was sitting in a meeting with my department chair the other day and we were discussing when I should take my pre-tenure semester leave. While most chairs would gasp at the idea of using your leave for anything other than an intense semester of research and writing, my chair suggested that I may want to use it to balance work and family. I know that I often seem very critical of academe when it comes to parenting, but there are moments when I realize that a few good people truly understand this delicate balancing act.