The Woes of Flexibility

The standard contract for good in-home childcare in my area includes two weeks of paid vacation which we happily granted our childcare provider (who, incidentally, is doing a wonderful job caring for our daughter). This week, she took one of her weeks off to travel to the beach so my mother-in-law came in from out of town to help us. While I am most grateful for her arrival and willingness to take time off work and fly (at her own expense) across the country to help us, my over protective motherly-self is having a difficult time going to work. The flexibility to make my own schedule -- the ability to work your 70 hours per week anytime and anywhere you want -- is a perk of the job that often keeps me going on my more difficult days. Yet, the flexibility also means that I have the option of staying home this week and nagging my mother-in-law.

I reluctantly got in my car this morning (after staying home yesterday to ease the transition), chanted all the way to work that everything will be fine, and placed my cell phone in my pocket just in case there is a call. This blog post is my attempt to remind myself to relax!

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.

Ugh!

Check this out:

An editorial in the journal DNA and Cell Biology notes that for many of the top prizes and fellowships in science, women appear to be overlooked. The editorial documents very low percentages of women winning key competitions or awards, and suggests that all journals use “double blind” peer review (in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are confidential), that program directors raise questions when finalists for prizes or honors don’t include women, and that selection committees periodically review their procedures to consider whether they are fair to all.

From Insidehighered.org.

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.

Quote of the week - just get a babystter

A few weeks ago, I was leaving a committee meeting that was attended by several of the university HR staff. When I was asked if I was attending the Sunday evening reception for new faculty at the president's house, this is what transpired:

HR Director: "Are you going to attend the reception on Sunday at the president's house?"

Jaime: "No, I have a young child at home and I don't have childcare. My husband will be out of town."

HR Director: "Just go to sittercity.com. We have a free subscription for staff and faculty."

Jaime: "Hmm, I have a very young child at home. She is only 5 months old and..."

HR Director: "I am sure that you can find someone on sittercity."

Jaime: "I'll take a look."

What I didn't say was that I have a very young child at home who I don't just trust with someone whom I choose on a website and meet with for a few minutes before I run off across town to a reception. Did I mention that my husband will be out of town on the west coast and that we are new to the area so we don't have a large network of friends and family? I could ask my full-time childcare provider, but she is pretty expensive (and totally worth it -- I love her). Maybe the university should consider hosting these receptions during "normal business" hours, 9-5pm Monday - Friday. Maybe, HR should consider doing more than just paying for a membership to a website. Hmm, we do have a childcare facility who could provide childcare during the reception. Maybe, the university should pay new faculty more money so that we can afford professional childcare.

Sorry, I had to vent!

Family-Friendly

Over the last several years, external granting agencies (specifically the Sloan Foundation in cooperation with the American Council on Education --- ACE) have recognized the need to promote the development of family-friendly policies in higher education. Sloan subsequently developed a competitive grant to provide funds for a select group of colleges and universities to develop more family-friendly policies (i.e., paid leave, tenure-clock extension, part-time tenure-track options, childcare vouchers, etc.). The hope is that the changes of a few innovative universities will create a national trend in higher education. A new survey by the higher education HR association (CUPA) tells us otherwise:

The CUPA-HR survey provides a snapshot on a range of benefits issues. At a time that many academics are urging institutions to adopt more “family friendly” policies, the survey suggests progress has been minimal.

Only 21 percent of institutions have paid leave for new parents over and above vacation and sick leave. Only 26 percent of the responding institutions provide child day-care benefits, and only 2 percent provide sick-child day-care benefits. Of those institutions that subsidize the costs of day care, the median subsidy was 20 percent.

What is your college doing to promote family-friendly policies? What can we do as individuals?

Quote of the week - mannerly children

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you know, I prepare and serve a number of 'Faculty
Resident's Dinners' for students on Sunday evenings during the
academic year. Anderson Hall's first floor 'Style Lounge' is the
venue. I know that neither the day nor the time - 8 PM - are ideal for
those of you with children, but faculty, partners and mannerly
children are most welcome.

I appreciate the sentiment -- understanding that faculty with children are unable to attend events on Sunday evenings -- but how do you define "mannerly" children?

Pet vs Domestic Partner Benefits: Part II

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Palm Beach Community College offering pet health insurance, but abstaining from establishing benefits for partner benefits. Here is an update from Insidehighered.org:

The board of Palm Beach Community College has approved an 18-month pilot program to offer domestic partner benefits for employees, The Sun Sentinel reported. The college’s board has previously rejected proposals to add the benefit, or delayed a vote, and many advocates for gay rights were furious at the college last year when, after refusing to approve partner benefits, the college added a benefit for pet health insurance.

Little baby steps is progress, I suppose.

The (W)Hole of the Semester

Each semester, I begin with the best of intentions. I will spend hours a week prepping for my courses. I will create and maintain a strict writing schedule. I will only take on only one additional dissertating student. I will seek out new collaborations and meet other faculty. I will participate in a few service projects and try to move them forward. I WILL balance my personal and professional life.

The truth is that the semester feels like a large hole that I slowly begin to dig the first week of classes. My expectations are too high. I have a problem with saying, "No" to new projects and collaborations. I can't seem to get up at 5am to start writing. Article and book revisions start to trickle in, creating mini-bombs in my already too tight schedule. Students ask for my time and advice. I take on more students. The hole gets deeper and bigger.

Right when I think that the walls are going to cave in due to the immensity of the hole, a vacation comes and I find a way to start filling the hole with finished writing projects, graduate students who are on a productive writing schedule, service that is either moving ahead or stalled in discussions that I can't influence, courses that are working like a well oiled machine, and some version of work/life balance.

Right now, I am still digging that hole and waiting for Thanksgiving so please forgive me if I am lapse in my blogging.

A Few Books on Parenting

In preparation for our daughter's arrival, I bought a few books that we use to help guide us through the maze of parenting. Here is my list:

1. Baby 411 - an encyclopedia of sorts with short snippets of information on topics ranging from breastfeeding to choosing a pediatrician to immunizations. This is a helpful guide when you need quick information.

2. What to expect during the first year - one of the more popular books in the "what to expect" series. This book has a chapter for each month of the first year which really helps when you are trying to understand the developmental milestones.

3. Be prepared - a humorous book for dads which handy information on how to construct a diaper from a flannel shirt. The illustrations are wonderful.

4.Happiest baby on the block - the famous Dr. Karp method is outlined in this book. He presents his theory of the 4th trimester with a detailed method for calming a fussy baby. The book is good, but the DVD is great. The DVD is a "must buy" for any first time parent!

5. Secrets of the baby whisperer - another very popular book that has received high acclaim. The author discusses her EASY (eat, activity, sleep, and you) method. This book is really helpful when trying to think about how you want to parent a newborn. One caveat, the EASY method does not apply for babies under 6 weeks old.

6. Baby's first year journal - this book provides a short discussion for each day of a baby's first year. I find that much of it is repetitive, but it does work well in companion with the "what to expect" book.

Feel free to add additional books by adding a comment to this post.

New Book on Parenting

Check out the new punk-parenting book.

Mother's Act

Senators in NJ and IL have proposed legislation that aims to eradicate the devastating effects of postpartum depression on American families. The legislation, the Mother's Act, proposes grants to better increase education and access to screenings for new mothers and to increase research into this difficult illness. If you are interested in supporting this act, sign the petition.

Wedding that Made History

This last weekend was a monumental time for Star Trek fans -- The Star Trek exhibit in Las Vegas closed due to contract disputes. Luckily, a few friends were able to schedule their wedding just before the closing! Here is a picture of the second to the last couple to marry on the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise.