Chapter 17: Should The Kids go Back to School?: Wrong Answers Only

My kids were 6 and 9 in early March when the pandemic hit. I had already taken two out-of-state trips that month, was furiously completing manuscripts for two spring conferences, revising a book proposal, teaching a doctoral research methods course, reviewing fall instructor appointments, advising two students completing dissertations, running a research-practice partnership with a local school district, and facilitating a pre-tenure faculty mentoring program. In short, living my regular life as a professor and associate dean.

When my kids’ school shut down, my husband and I—like so many other working parents—suddenly had to juggle our own complex schedules with supporting our kids through remote learning. We were fortunate to both work from home, but our jobs—my husband works for a local nonprofit—exploded with new meetings and tasks as our organizations pivoted overnight to adapt to working from home. Somehow, we managed for months without in-person help. My husband and I took turns supervising the kids through the day to make space for our own meetings. Grandparents read stories on FaceTime each day just so we could have a break.