My work as an assistant professor in Philosophy & Religion at NC State is made possible by what sometimes seems like a small army of individuals, paid and unpaid. Because of them, it’s possible for me to teach and advise and do research. This semester, I’m teaching a course in biomedical ethics, and another in religion and reproductive ethics.

 

Despite all this help, for which I am deeply grateful, I routinely work 18-hour days. These hours are a carefully integrated mix of nursing, reading, grading, teaching, meeting with students, answering emails, cooking, driving, more nursing, more reading, writing and thinking. I succeed, most days, in balancing this mix of activities.

 

More than 40 percent of my gross monthly pay goes to childcare for my younger two children, a 4 year old and an 8 month old. Affordable daycare on campus would make a huge difference to many faculty and staff here. An NC State undergraduate watches the baby three days a week. My husband, an attorney, watches him two mornings a week while I teach my classes. My 4 year old attends a full day Montessori preschool. My oldest, 8, is a second grader in public school.

 

I also am privileged to have a generous mother-in-law (herself a former mayor of Winston-Salem and busy professional) who lives close enough to fill in when my husband is out of town or someone is sick. My own mother, who lives in New Jersey, periodically flies down to help while I work on my book manuscript, which is under advance contract with UNC Press. Her visits over the last two years have been absolutely crucial in my progress. It also helps that I live five minutes from my office and that I have a supportive husband.

 

Here’s my Wednesday routine: I typically wake up around 6 a.m. to nurse the baby. If he goes back to sleep, I can read or check emails until it is time to make breakfast and pack lunches for my sons. By the time the babysitter arrives at 9:30 a.m., and I leave for campus, I’ve usually been awake and working at one task or another for over three hours. Wednesday mornings, I spend at my office, where I can work on a number of goals: preparing for class the next day, grading quizzes or papers, my own research, or – most often – meeting with students. I hold office hours on Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon. This semester, I almost always eat lunch at my desk. By 1:30 p.m., it’s time to drive home to nurse the baby. Then, he goes back to the babysitter, and I continue to work at home until 5 p.m. In the afternoons, I am typically getting ready for class (my new class requires a lot of preparation), but sometimes I also do research or grading. Between 5 and 8:30 p.m., I am focused on my family. With very few exceptions, I work again when everyone’s asleep, from about 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. This is the quietest time of the day and the best time for writing.