Reflections on the importance of a supportive workplace environment - a thread. @Momademia

When my babies were four weeks old and my doctor cleared me to return to work, they started coming in with me. Faculty and staff colleagues volunteered to take shifts with them. 1/

My daughter would be perched on a faculty member’s desk across the hall as he graded. Another faculty member had my son in her lap and checked to see if his little fingernails needed trimming. When they were toddlers, and my son spiked a fever at day care, and I had a class I 2/

Simply couldn’t cancel, a staff member drove my car (car seats and all) to go pick him up. Today, when my son needed extra snuggles and spent two meetings quietly on my lap, getting hugs, my colleagues were understanding and kind about it. At a time when so many of us are 3/

Worried about appearing unprofessional as we juggle parenting, homeschooling, and working from home under impossible conditions, I get to work at a place where reverence, kindness, and compassion are more than just buzzwords. I know that a lot of you are in the process of 4/

Looking for that perfect position at that perfect institution, and sure, big R1 schools can be really appealing - and they’re a perfect fit for some people. But don’t rule out the smaller places, the ones that truly live out their mission and core values each and every day. 5/

Because you never know how your priorities may shift as you move through your career. Goodness knows I’m not who I was when I started teaching 21 years ago. And if you can find a place where you can be yourself, and where you (and your family) are valued and treated with 6/

Dignity and kindness and respect, well, I just don’t know that it gets any better than that. So tonight, I’m just feeling especially grateful. 7/7