When to Create a Teachable Moment

This week, I have been privy to a few discturbing stories that highlight the lack of understanding in the academy around academic parenthood. In one circumstance, a group of students complained that a faculty person had to leave her all day class for brief breaks to feed her child. In another incident, a faculty personal had a difficult time during her tenure review because she took her semester research leave to extend her maternity leave (this institution does not offer any benefits beyond the 12 weeks unpaid FMLA). What I keep coming back to in my mind is the idea that we can use these unfortunate (and discriminatory) incidences to teach others about the importance of understanding the delicate balancing act of academic parenthood. Here are a few initial ideas:

• The department chair could attend the class and discusses openly with the students the necessity for the faculty person to leave the class. The chair could explain how the students could continue the class (i.e. continue in-class discussion) and find other creative ways to learn the material. Because many of the students are full-time professionals, additional discussion could surround the need to be creative and understanding in their professional careers. This could be a teachable moment.
  
• The tenure and promotion committee could openly engage in a discussion of the reasons why a faculty person would use their leave for maternity purposes. They could bring in "experts" to contribute (or at least other academic parents). They could also become more knowledgable about the leave policies which may help to contextualize the faculty person's decision-making.

Instead of being punitive, committees/students/chairs/colleagues need to have an open mind and approach the conflict as a moment to learn more about the issues that academic parents face. Just removing the faculty person as the course instructor or denying tenure does NOT address the underlying structures that make the balancing act so difficult.