And I just took Youngest back to the University of Maine.
I hear you gasping. I know, believe me. The news is full of stories about colleges and universities bravely reopening, only to face a surge of covid-19 infections. Places like University of North Carolina have welcomed students back and sent them home within a week, converting to online-only. The University of Maine is doing everything other schools are doing - testing upon arrival, mandating social distancing and cleaning everything in sight. (When we got to Youngest's room - a single - along with the usual desk, bed and chair we found a spray bottle of disinfectant, eight ounces of hand sanitizer, and a jumbo box of tissues.)
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| photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik, Bangor Daily News |
Youngest and I went around and around on this for most of the summer. She had a good plan to go to Kosovo, where she had friends she could share a flat with and where she (hopefully) will be spending Spring semester. But as you may have noticed, getting into Europe is...tricky for Americans at this point. She considered staying home and taking all her classes remotely, but the chance to partake in a few in-person seminars with favorite professors tipped the balance.
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| The dorm has single-occupancy bathrooms! |
Also, frankly, she missed her friends and wanted out of the nest. As did Guest Son, who decided to put his senior year on hold, but got a shared student apartment near campus and is looking for a job. I can't blame either of them - it's good and right to be on your own and with peers at this point in their lives.
So off they went, kit, clothes, bedding, boxes and multiple masks for each of them. I promised Youngest I wouldn't look at the New York Times coronavirus outbreak statistics more than once a day. (I just checked the headline. More than 1,000 cases at the University of South Carolina. I may take up day drinking.)
The thing is, as the chancellor of the U Maine system said, if it can work anywhere, it will work in Maine, where we've consistently been one of the three lowest states for community transmission since March. We're rural, geographically remote (Orono is closer to Quebec City than it is to New York) and have been doing pretty well on mask wearing and social distancing.
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| Yes, her masks always coordinate with her outfits. |
Of course, the converse is true as well - if it can't work in Maine, it can't work anywhere. Half the student body of UMO (as the flagship campus is known) comes from out of state. So I'll be hoping and praying and not badgering Youngest and Guest Son with texts and phone calls asking them if they're wearing their masks and avoiding parties. I hope it will work, and that they won't have to come home before Thanksgiving.
But I'm keeping the beds made, just in case.
What difficult decisions . . . .
ReplyDeleteSchool is a tough question for our girls because they know the children need to go to school, but there’s still that worry about keeping them safe.
In Colorado, the school district has the seventh-grader distance learning while the third grader goes to school; in Virginia, they’re all distance learning [and the high schoolers are not too happy about it]. It’s tough for moms and dads, too . . . hard to know what will be the right choice. Of course, if this were another time and I was the mom who had to decide for my children, I’d just keep them home and teach them myself . . . .
Joan, my sister and brother both live in northern Virginia with their families. My brother and his wife decided early to not send their son to second grade, but to home school him, since my brother was already a stay at home dad. Tough but doable for families where both parents work from home. Working out of the home? I have no idea how those parents are getting by.
DeleteMy daughter has been struggling with the decision of keeping my fifth grader granddaughter Izzy home or sending her back to the classroom. The struggle has been that their school system isn’t really equipped to do the virtual learning well, and there has been a lack of cooperation with parents, like my daughter, who chose to keep their children home when in-class started back a few weeks ago. My daughter has taught fifth grade, so it wasn’t hard for her to do her part in teaching, and some of Izzy’s friends were staying home as well. The parents were planning to try some outings for the kids together. Well, all her friends who had been staying home went back to the classroom this week. Izzy is starting back tomorrow. She is a kid who loves going to school, and my daughter is letting her see how it goes. She started her piano lessons back last week. There have been a few cases at the high school, but it seems to not be exploding right now. It’s like with everyone, wait and see if going back to the classroom will work.
ReplyDeleteRight? And of course, the older they are, the more you need to take your child's preferences into account. It's awfully hard being the only on at home when all your friends are at school...
DeleteI'm rather grateful right now that I don't have kids. But I have friends who are dealing with this. My heart breaks for them. I know I'd be a wreck. Heck, I'm a wreck anyway just thinking of the rising numbers.
ReplyDeleteJulia, step away from the news reports and have a glass of wine.
Even with lunch!
DeleteAnnette, that's a good idea. Ive been trying to go on a news fast. Unfortunately, it's going about as well as when I try to go on a food fast...
DeleteMy daughter-in-law - a freshly former high school teacher - started a doctoral program and assistant teaching last week at UMass Amherst. It's all remote, but I think a couple of her PhD classes were going to try to distance meet outdoor as weather permits. Alison is an overachiever and she'll be fine, but what I remember about grad school was all the in-person stuff, the heady feeling of learning, and the dance parties!
ReplyDeleteMy young friends are going back in person two days a week, both of them starting at new schools (9th and 6th grades). Fingers crossed the district is strict about masks and distance, but I don't envy any of them.
I didn't read that UMaine pledge carefully - I hope it also said, don't attend any weddings! Maine's a little famous right now for that one. Seriously, may Youngest and Guest Son stay safe and sensible.
Edith, yes, we're all calling it "The Death Wedding" right now. Pretty sure you wouldn't see such nonsense with a Quaker wedding. :-)
DeleteJulia, best wishes coping with the (totally understandable!) anxiety. Very anxious times. And yes, we do have dear ones coping too. Our house includes a ground floor rental apartment, and our daughter surprised us a few years ago, as we began a long overdue renovation, by saying, "If you can get two bedrooms in, we'd like to be your tenants." With delightful husband and 2 perfect small grandgirls. They missed the old neighborhood, liked the local schools and didn't like where they were living. Plus other daughter and adorable nursery age grandson in not-far NJ. He went back to day camp ( nursery school) late in summer and expects to be back in school in fall. Small, religious community center, standards enforced. Younger grandgirl will be back in similar nursery school too. We think. Older is supposed to return to NY public school. Oy. Yes or no? Part time with distance learning rest of week? And what does that really mean? Are they just a wee bit stressed? Will grandma do some one person classes? To be continued.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't part-time at school, with distance learning the rest of the week run the risk of having the kids a little bit exposed? Sort of like being a little bit pregnant?
DeleteThe idea - I guess! - is that part time, with 2 shifts, means fewer kids at each session and makes more social distancing possible. Son in law works in a private school - they have rented some additional space to make the distancing possible.I don't think they are even sure exactly what is happening. School in NY starts after Labor Day, so still working on details. Word "nightmare" comes to mind.
DeleteTriss, at least NY has been doing very well (I'm keeping a close eye on their statistics as well, since my 84-y-o dad lives near Syracuse.) I think "to be continued" is exactly what everyone with kinds in school - from K through PhD programs - is experiencing. Will it work? What combination of in-class and online will work? Will it last into winter? Who knows?
DeleteJulia, thank you for this post. A friend just delivered her freshman daughter to the University of Maine system. Sending her a link to this to let her know she is not alone. Wishing all of you mothers and daughters well in this time of COVID.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth!
Deletethese are really hard decisions and we are all behind you and your kids Julia! xox
ReplyDeleteI know you are, Lucy! :-)
DeleteThese are, indeed, challenging times for all. I loved the meme that was going around that said (in a more clever fashion than this) whatever decision your friend announces about return to school, your reply should be "I know that was a tough decision. I'm sure you made the best choice."
ReplyDeleteMost of the colleges in Ohio seem to be reopening for at least some on campus classes, though to varying degrees. The K-12 schools are all over the map. Many are doing a hybrid, where half the students are onsite two days a week with three remote days, and for another two days the cohorts switch. Complicating matters, our county was in a really alarmingly high infection rate in July, as schools were trying to make these decisions. But things have been steadily improving and many made last minute changes back to hybrid -- and then this week the numbers are creeping up again, fueled at least in part by the return of students to Ohio State's campus. Oy!
One largely unrelated note that I feel I have to share because of the connection to what our kids are doing. My son has been working for a few months as a temporary delivery driver for UPS. He got word this week that they will not be using temporaries after Labor Day for about 4 to 6 weeks, though they will almost certainly bring them back sometime in October for the holiday season. In light of this, he's casting about for something to do in the interim. Last night while chatting about it in a virtual gathering online, he was offered a job: removing dead people who die at home and transporting them to mortuaries. He has decided to say no for now, just because of the significant "ick" factor. But I thought it was the most unusual opportunity, and one you would all appreciate.
Wow, Susan, that is interesting. Life sure has changed quickly this year, hasn't it? Good luck to your son in his job search.
DeleteOh, Susan. I'm a bad person, because the first thing I thought was That would make a great set-up for a mystery. Although in real life, I am 100% behind your son's decision to pass!
DeleteJulia, it brought to mind one of the first Brother Cadfael mysteries--among all the war dead was one murdered man. I can see the possibilities in this scenario as well. Not sure what this makes me, but, Susan, this is not a job I'd recommend to my nephews.
DeleteI would say it makes you a dedicated mystery reader, Flora! And I loved that book - ONE CORPSE TOO MANY. It was a brilliant conceit.
DeleteJulia, hugs. We just shipped The Boy off to college - 2 weeks ago tomorrow. Like Maine, St. Bonaventure made the kids sign a compact - violations of it will be treated the same as violations of the University's Code of Conduct - and the school provided two masks (one reusable, two paper), hand sanitizer, and other cleaning supplies in the semester Welcome kit. Bonas is in NY, which while hard hit in the early days has been one of the best states recently. It's in a rural county (Cattaraugus) with a low infection rate and over 80% of the students come from NY, NJ, and CT, three states with currently low infection rates. They rearranged all the classrooms, co-opting theaters and art galleries for academic space. If social media can be believed (ha!), all the students are wearing masks and (at least mostly) avoiding the large parties I remember from my days there - pictures of spots usually lit up and crowded on a Friday night are dark and abandoned.
ReplyDeleteThe Girl is at Pitt where students are on campus, but all classes are virtual until at least 9/14. She said there were some parties early, but she hasn't said anything since, so maybe they've died down.
My sister is the technology teacher at a Catholic K-8 school. She's having fits. Surprisingly, it's not the students or parents - it's the teachers, especially in the lower grades. Everything from, "This isn't the way I was taught to teach 35 years ago" to "How can I teach phonics when kids are wearing masks? Can't they take them off at their desks?"
Makes me glad my kids are out of those years.
We'll keep our fingers crossed together, Liz. Honestly, I expect the vast majority of students will stick (pretty closely) to the rules, since no one wants to be sent home. The problem is, of course, that it only takes one asymptomatic carrier to be at one illegal party.
DeleteMy sympathies to your sister. Ross loved doing special ed in elementary schools, but he had stories about those 35-year veterans that would make your hair curl. There's always a cadre of folks who have been doing it SO long any changes give them heart attacks.
My grand daughters are distant learning. This would have been Eliza's first year at middle school. Stanislaus County (Modesto CA) planned for both formats. Her parents chose the safer option. The problem is with their 4 year old. She has just been dx as language delayed. The best option for this would be to attend pre-school. Sadly, the schools that have speech/language programs are closed at this time. I was a school librarian and have been asked to help. Taking inspiration from Hallie et al.. I am digging out my librarian hat. The universe has such a sense of humor. We both will be in speech therapy.
ReplyDeleteI have a tip for the Maine Millennial. When applying for any job first look up the Occupational and Wage Estimates for the State of Maine. This is a list of every possible job a person could imagine and the chance of there being a need for employment. It might offer some professional suggestions for your daughter. It is an online source, I hope she finds this useful.
Thank you, Coralee! I just told her about this and she said, "Interesting! I'll look at that."
DeleteDay drinking, indeed. It's a serious temptation right now, for so many reasons.
ReplyDeleteMy grandson goes to an International Baccalaureate high school in Detroit, a public school that draws from eight local communities. This past spring they went right to distance learning, of course. Zak struggled with trying to focus from home. He has attention issues, and having too many temptations close at hand made them worse, so his grades were less than ideal.
Now he's in his sophomore year, and to address this difficulty, the school has offered a creative option. Most students are still going to have distance learning, but some kids have the choice of physically going to school a limited number of days a week. Zak decided that he would like to do that, for a variety of reasons, including social. He's an only child, and the isolation has been really hard on him, as it has for a lot of kids. (Some other students have additional challenges, like not having internet access at home.)
It's such a shame. I watched him start to come into his own last year, as he blossomed socially and academically. I know he's just one of hundreds of millions of young people in the world who are suffering social and academic setbacks, but he's my young person, and my heart aches for him.
Oh, I know, Karen. Some students can do pretty much just as well online as in person. But for so many more, online classes are either a real challenge or, as you say, technologically out of reach.
DeleteMy sister's 17-y-o is in his senior year, and, like your grandson, really missed the social aspect of school. He also found it easier to work in a classroom than at home, with all its distractions (younger brother, both parents working from home.) My sister's solution was to team up with the families of three or four of his friends for "Dining room table school." They will all bubble together, and the boys will go to a different house each day for their online classes. It takes a lot of commitment from the families - no risking outside contamination! - but it struck me as a great solution for everyone, including work-from-home parents who might like a couple days off from supervising schoolwork.
Good luck to the youngest (she's sensible AND wants to go to Kosovo) and the MM on her job hunt.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest made the drive from New Orleans to Cincinnati to see us (the dogs were the main attraction) and collect a load of furniture. She stayed in the basement, socially distanced, and wore a mask on the main floor of the house. Fourteen day self-quarantine and COVID testing before and after trip.
The kids are talking Thanksgiving and Christmas and I don't know what to tell them, other than to get a flu shot.
Does MM have a library degree? Librarians make the best contact tracers, I'm told, because of their research skills and tenacity. Have her explore local, state, and federal health departments.
DeleteThat's an excellent idea, Margaret! I'll pass it on to her.
DeleteMy younger grandchildren are in virtual learning mode until mid month, then we will see. For the three youngest, 7, 9, and 11, their mother is a teacher. She may have to go in for teaching her virtual classes, but the good news is that they can go with her, stay with her in a classroom, so I hope she can cope with them while working. The almost 16 year old will take one class real time, gymnastics, probably a good option. He has a lot of pent up energy that needs an outlet. My granddaughter in back in the lab, working on her PhD, but she is in Wyoming, not a high risk situation. My eldest and his wife are incubating my first great grandson. He works from home, but she is a PA in the Duke system, one of the urgent care centers. She feels safe, has tons of PPE, and is super careful.
ReplyDelete‘all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well,’
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
I think we could all use a daily dose of Julian of Norwich, Ann!
DeleteLike many Massachusetts districts, my eight-year-old daughter's is fully remote and not starting until the middle of September. I've been giving her some little lessons at home to make up for lost time. She willingly reads books and does math, but writing is requiring some bribery.
ReplyDeleteEmily, maybe you can entice her with the chance to write her own book? :-)
DeleteJulia, sending wishes for continuing good health to you and your children as they pursue real life in these unreal times.
ReplyDeleteWe are very much affected. Rachel is a high school chemistry teacher and her sons are in elementary school. They are going back into their buildings and classes because her school system didn't really want any advise from their teachers. Everything decided with no teacher input. Right?! Anyway, we saw them last week and when we all hugged good-bye we realized that it could be months before it will be safe to just pick up and go visit again.
Jonathan's three year old has been back at Montessori since mid-July. They cannot work at home with him in the house. There were only 5 or 6 kids in class all summer, but who knows how many in the fall.
Anyway, I totally commiserate with anyone who is sending loved ones out into the world right now.
Thanks, Judy. I feel for your children. As hard as staying home has been, I know from my own experience how grindingly difficult it would be with kids elementary age or younger. At least my only job when I was a stay-at-home-mom was taking care of the kids. I can't imagine how I would have coped if I were also trying to work from home.
DeleteJulia, all the best good wishes for health and employment to youngest, guest son, and MM - and sailor, too, on his quest for E-5. That would be outstanding! I hope youngest is able to attend her semester in Kosovo.
ReplyDeleteUMFK is local and many professors live in our town. When we were in town yesterday we noticed signs pointing students to the COVID-19 testing site. Maine has a low rate of virus so far, and the University system appears to be extremely proactive in identifying and tracking cases.
I'm glad I don't have children or grandchildren. It's so difficult to know what to do right now. Our local school allowed parents to opt in or out of various virtual/in-person class scenarios. No easy answers, either way the kids are at risk - in one case of contracting the virus - in the other of missing out on the important social milestones of attending class.
Aroostook County is kind of the Maine of Maine - did you have any cases at all up there? And yes, the U system is very on top of the things they can do - I worry the problem is in the things the students have to do, like self-report. Fingers crossed. I would guess the Chancellor's words are really true for your area -if it can't happen safely in Fort Kent, it can't happen anywhere.
Delete38 cases up here since COVID-19 began. Most folks do mask up and maintain social distance. It has to be scary, Julia. We all remember that we believed we were immortal in our college years. Maybe kids are more sensible now. Hope so.
DeleteJulia, sending good thoughts and best wishes for health and employment. For your kid looking for a job, can she make masks? Perhaps she could set up an online business making masks? I am getting emails about the great need for poll workers on Election Day and they will pay. I wonder if they need more poll workers in Southern Maine?
ReplyDeleteRegarding remote learning, there are some families that do not have computers or if they do, they have poor wifi connections. A friend had to close her Speech Therapy office because many of her students are low income and have poor wifi connections. She tried to continue with Virtual connections via computer.
The pandemic is affecting all of us in many ways.
Diana
Thanks for the idea, Diana - I'll pass it on.
DeleteYes, the technological gap has been a real problem here in Maine. We're a poor, rural state, and there are communities that have little or no internet access. I live a half hour from the biggest city in Maine, and I still have to ask everyone in the house to turn off their internet when I'm doing a Zoom meeting!
I don't have children of my own, although I have a step-daughter, step-grandkids, and even a couple of great-grands. I monitor them all from a distance, but they are home-schooling families. I am resolved not to worry too much.
ReplyDeleteI do worry about friends who are caught in the middle of this whole dilemma. One friend, a single mother, has a son who is starting kindergarten this year. She also has a full-time job. In any other year, this would really ease some pressure for her, but no. Now she has to work from home full time, AND be a full-time teacher at the same time. I don't know how she's going to manage being two full-time employees at once.
Another friend, a college professor, has taken in his two granddaughters for the semester, so he can home-school them while their parents work full time jobs outside the home. His campus is all distance learning for the fall semester, and his wife is a retired teacher as well, so it will probably work out fine for the adults. But for the kids? My friend's wife is medically fragile, so once the kids are in place they'll have to stay in quarantine, with only virtual visits from Mom and Dad. I realize it won't be like a Victorian boarding school, but that's tough on first-graders. So is the notion that, if you get sick or bring the virus home to Grandma, she could die.
Wow, Gigi, your friend's solution is smart, and also VERY Victorian. It sounds like the nineteenth century, when children were sent away for long periods of time to avoid contagion, or because the parents were working someplace where children couldn't follow.
DeleteI suspect it may be hardest on the parents. If I could only have seen my young kids through a computer screen for an entire semester, I would have been bereft.
I can only imagine! On the other hand, he's a fun granddad, and a good teacher.
DeleteMy granddaughter Meghan is a freshman at San Diego State. Classes will be online but she’s an athlete so she’s there in person. 10 day quarantine then has to stay, practice, eat in a bubble of 10 fellow players. How that will work on a campus of football, crew, volleyball players I can’t think!
ReplyDeleteRhys,
DeleteI'm holding good thoughts that your granddaughter will stay healthy and safe.
Diana
I actually think bubbling like that might work better than simply relying on kids to social distance. In a bubble, they get lots of up-close contact, so it feels like the before times. Plus, frankly, there's social pressure on everyone to stick to the plan. No one is going to want to be the girl who gets the team's season shut down!
DeleteYou've just described my life. We live a couple miles north of ASU and they're almost at one thousand cases - no sign of closing and I doubt they will even if they reach five thousand cases because...$$$. My college student son is doing a semester online, forsaking the apartment with friends to stay home, while my high school senior is also at home, doing school online. I feel for them, I do. Mostly, I feel for me, however, because writing in a frat house is...no bueno.
ReplyDeleteJenn,
Deletehow are your sons doing with remote learning?
Diana
I hear you, Jenn. I have to say, along with the low-level constant worry, there's also the relief that for the first time in over five months, I'm not trying to work in a house with three other people all ALSO working/socializing/going to school.
DeleteMy teaching colleagues are returning to a combination of at-school and remote learning. While I'm relieved not to have to do it, I wish there were more ways to help them through this, and wishing for employment opportunities as well. Storytellers and other performing artists are trying to put together online programs, but it's not the same.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with the restlessness of those tired of being Safe At Home. I'm more content in retirement mode than I would have been at other times of my life, but even so, I'm feeling "caution fatigue," not enough to risk untested vaccines, but I'll be happy when my doctors announce a reliable one. Stay well <3
Mary, I think a LOT of us are suffering from "caution fatigue!"
DeleteJulia, what tough decisions for you all. And I'm sure the house must feel empty to you, with two out three (Youngest and Guest Son) gone. Wishing MM good luck with the job hunting, too.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter has been back in her "school" since June, but it's home daycare, there are only 6 to 8 kids, and her teacher is really vigilant. Both daughter and son-in-law are working full time and exposed to people all day. So even though they live so close, they might as well be across the country as far as any socializing. I suspect we will not even have Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and I feel I'm missing a huge chunck of my granddaughter's life--she's growing up so fast. We went into lock down right after her 4th birthday. Now I'm wondering when I will ever get to spend any time with her again...
On the good side, our area has been downgraded from RED to ORANGE status, but I suspect that will mean a lot of Labor Day parties and then rising cases again!
Debs, I feel the same that I can only see my grandkids at distance, with masks on. I want hugs. And I’ll be so sad if we can’t do Thanksgiving and Christmas. On the positive side my county is down to about 24 new cases a day
DeleteI'm already anticipating a scaled down Thanksgiving and Christmas. All the kids except the Sailor will be here, and we'll even be able to have the three add-on adult kids who have come into my life through a combination of testing and masks. But we usually have a huge dinner on both holidays, with loads of friends, and I'll miss that.
DeleteAnd I won't even get the consolation of being able to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the dog show, (usually missed because I'm cooking for 25) because I'm 99% sure they'll be cancelled!
My border collie, Zoe, will be heartbroken at the loss of the dog show. It's her favorite TV show all year. She pays close attention during the conformation classes, but sleeps through the commercials.
DeleteLOL!
DeleteLast week at our Zoom Choir meeting/social, I got the absolute impression that church would only be Zoom for Christmas.
DeleteOur local schools started kids back, including sports. For weeks I've seen the tennis team, the cross-country and football teams all practicing. No social distancing there.... Kindergarten did not go back, and my nephew decided to homeschool his kindergartner for now anyway, on top of taking a full load of college courses (all online). Other nephews were eager to send their kids (1st-2nd graders) back to school. The photos online of first day of school showed after-school photos of kids milling around, some with masks, some without. I feel it's only a matter of time before caseloads start going up and we've been in the red since July.
ReplyDeleteJulia, best wishes that Youngest will keep her eyes on the prize--being able to be at school and have those in-person seminars--and stay as safe as she can. Same for Guest Son. And for the Maine Millennial, tell her to look into online freelance copy editing. It is possible to get work without a certification. Apex CoVantage is one such place--the work comes up project by project, as the editors send out invitations to a group of copy editors--if you're the first to accept, the project is yours. The pay used to be better, but is still decent. And good luck to your son--it sounds as if he's got this down.
Thank you, Flora, and thanks for the copy editing tip.
DeleteI've never understood how people pressing hardest for reopening businesses and schools seem to also be most firmly against mask-wearing and social distancing. It's like me saying I want to drive all the way to NYC, but refusing to put any gas in my tank.
Julia, I love your imagery! What are the consequences for breaking the rules at her school? The college I went to is now suspending people who break the rules and are partying. It's really only been a handful of kids but those numbers have quickly multiplied and from over 100 cases 2 days ago to now closer to 400! I feel bad for the kids who have done everything right and will still be losing their in-person instruction. But, yes, I know, we should have expected this. Horrible for everyone.
ReplyDeleteJudi, they're trying for non-punitive consequences right now - they've suspended one student for hosting four (!) parties that broke the rules, but another 6 who hosted a smaller number of parties were given warnings and deferred suspensions. I'm sure the administration would rather keep their touch light, as it were, in order to not scare kids away from reporting instances of dangerous behavior.
DeleteOur daughter and her 4 year old daughter live with us. As "old farts", we try to be cautious with our big world activities.
ReplyDeleteSaid daughter teaches at a local high school. After extended discussions with the Republican state administration, the local county (Palm Beach has been setting records for Covid cases), the teachers union, etc. they started off this week virtually. But it's looking like they may be forced to go brick and mortar very soon.
Do we have her strip off her clothes at the door when she gets home and go directly to a shower? And the granddaughter is in a pre-K program, starting next week.
We try to be sensible, but how do you decide what is and isn't reasonable?
I hear you, Libby. I'm always on the hunt for authoritative information on what's safe, what's not, and what's in-between. I look for epidemiologists and physicians who specialize in infectious diseases or respiratory ailments. In a pinch, though, I'd go ahead and ask my doctor, "What would you do if this was your child or parent?"
DeleteCalifornia reader here, taking a late lunch break. I'm in Silicon Valley and everyone here in professional jobs is working from home. All school is remote, for those that don't have fast internet it is being provided by local companies. My two children are out of college and working in professional careers. My daughter is a design engineer for Roche, and may have to go into work once or twice a month for lab work. She designs medical devices. My son works for Lab 126, which is Amazon, has his own lab, he is a reliability engineer and also only goes into work once or twice a week. My husband an IT director for Kaiser, works from home exclusively, and it will remain that way in the future. Commercial real estate is going to suffer a lot as a lot of these companies have decided working from home works the vast majority of the time. My daughter-in-law works for Apple, also a reliability engineer, is permanently working from home too. I'm an attorney and still see some clients act to face, but most of my meetings with corporate clients are remote.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I terms of your daughter, has she tried looking at law firms? Here they hire those with MLS degrees as researchers and master of the law libraries, which are mostly digital these days.
I would encourage her to look at openings at any Silicon Valley large companies, such as Amazon, Google, Apple. Facebook, Rosche, and there are.so many more. There are many jobs as these companies that are remote only, with occasional trips to California for meetings. If she is interested in programming, a MLS degree can sometimes be a starting place for a programming career. Entry level programmers start at $150 - 180 K.
Susan - wow. That makes me think I'M interested in programming! I'll pass the info on to her.
DeleteI feel lucky to be among the class of workers who, like you and your family, can do 95% of the job at home (if not all.) I've been speculating for a while on the hit to commercial real estate in expensive areas that specialize in brain industries, like Boston, NY and Silicon Valley. Why pay $100 per square foot when maybe two-thirds of your employees can work just as well from home? Even taking into account parents with small children, who may want to trade of commuting time for starting early and working after the kids go to bed.
hey Julia, as far as the MM needing work, the company I work for Tantor Media (audiobooks) has been hiring through the pandemic and I know we'll need audio proofers coming up in the next month or so, both freelancers and actual company bodies. We're almost all working remotely at the moment. There are likely other openings as well. If the MM is interested, you or she can drop me an email at melanie.bodin@gmail.com and I'll give you more contact info. It's a good place to work--I started as a proofer with my English degree and I'm now an audio engineer--or at least I can give a convincing performance as one. Good luck and health to all of you and yours!
ReplyDelete-Melanie