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Just an intermittent reminder to academic/professionals out there who have colleagues with kids/other dependents... Those of us that do are constantly iterating and trying to improve our 'systems.' 1/
The fact that we refer to our families as 'systems' (ie. to engineer) is telling, actually. 2/
And once we hone that system, get it dialed in... 3/
It doesn't make much to get sand into machine, fell the house of cards, the system to fail (pick your metaphor)... 4/
So, just a reminder, not only to be kind, patient, and even generous, but to *stay* kind, patient and yes, generous.
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Note, this is of course not specific to parenting-while-academic... 6/
Yet it feels both hard and personal. 7/
It reminds me of a level, or this 8/
And it doesn't feel good when the ball falls, off to the side in either or any of the directions. 9/
If you're still reading, please consider the need to *stay* or even *become more* patient. 10/
And where you can, share some opportunity wealth with people who don't always have time-freedom...
How, though? 11/
How, though? 11/
One way might be to help record their ideas, get their input, when they're not on camera/screens. How about take notes while they walk? Offer to create the agenda, meeting notes? Calendar invite? Assemble documents/files so they don't have to hunt?
Note, and this matters: 12/
Note, and this matters: 12/
This does not have to be vertical/hierarchical. Peers can do this, supervisors/mentors can do this. We are in a topsy turvy place, with so many support structures ragged. 13/
So, invest in people, relationships... *not. just. output.* Training, modeling, reassuring, building up, sharing, collaborating, connecting... 14/
In academia, think about how much we hone our trainees, ourselves. It's one thing to put aside a project, another entirely to do that to a colleague, a team, a mentee. 15/
Would love to think about how others are reflecting on this, on our scholarly 'systems' breaking down, and the adhesives and repair we might use to patch them... that is the *actual people* we call the "system." Fin.
