Tuesday, January 21, 2014

New term, new priorities: Edna gears up for reentry

As I count down the days until the start of a new semester, I look back on my family leave and marvel at what a difference a new bundle of expenses joy makes to my overall outlook on work. Your mileage may vary, but I thought I'd share a handful of my personal revelations:
Proffie parents: taking crap at home and at work.

As much as I enjoy academia, this is, at heart, really just a job.

A job can be left for another one if circumstances require it.

I could totally leave academia if I needed to. Someday I might even want to.

It is OK to put family first, whether for a while or forever. This time (or any time) doesn't come back once it's gone, and if one is lucky enough to opt for seizing these moments, one must consider these options very carefully before proceeding.

It is also OK to like work and return to it. If only I could bottle the thrill I got the day I finally returned to my office to sit down and actually do something that required my training and experience rather than a pack of wet wipes and a noseplug.

Cheers to everyone on CM who have kept the misery flowing these past few months--I've been lurking while on leave, and it has been (perhaps strangely) comforting to check in with the goings-on at the compound. I propose that Darla and I begin regular inspections to check the facilities for family-friendliness, and report our findings to management.

P.S. The spawn loves hir alpaca fur booties. Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness!

5 comments:

  1. I somehow missed that you were on leave for that reason (how did I miss that?). Congratulations!

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  2. Congratulations indeed! And yes, this is a good job but it is a job. It's amazing how one's perspective gets forcibly shifted by childbirth.

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  3. Congratulations! Enjoy both the spawn and the opportunity to do something other than care for the spawn (a good recipe for non-snowflakey result, I suspect).

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  4. Seeing your children learn the things you teach them is so rewarding, although it makes your dumb students seem even dumber.

    Here's a tip: don't tell a student that your 8th grade child took the same chemistry exam and got a higher grade, unless you enjoy talking with your dean.

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    1. ...or that your third grader found a particular exercise "easy".

      Children of college instructors should be excused from introductory courses in their parents' field. Maybe as a sort of heart-felt apology.

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