Office Hours

When I dropped Nicholas off at school on Friday morning they warned me that the power was out and that if it wasn't back on by 10, they would call me to come get him. So into work I went, hoping for the best. Well, at 9:45 the phone call came. Most recent estimate to get power back: 3-4 hours. Given the layout of the school (lots of interior classrooms and hallways with no natural light) and the heat situation, they just couldn't keep the kids any longer without power.

So Nicholas came to work with me. Because, really, the only other option was to not go to work. And while I have a personal day I could use an that disappears on Dec 31st, I had told my students I'd be available to help them prepare for their finals and I didn't want to do that to them.

And so Nicholas spent 6 hours in my office as I held office hours.

And it worked about as well as you'd expect.

Actually, it could have been much, much worse, and as multiple colleagues reassured me, their kids never would have been that good at 2. Nicholas actually did a really good job for the first 4 hours.

He played on the computer one of my colleagues had in his office from when his kids were little:

From 2011 December

He shushed me, saying, "Mommy, I have to get my work done." I wonder where he hears that.

He drew pictures on big paper on the floor:

From 2011 December

He watched a DVD on the computer while I met with students:

From 2011 December

He ate lunch at my desk:

From 2011 December

He found my stash of Teddy Grahams and my hidden pair of back-up heels:

From 2011 December

But he refused to nap. I got in one 45 minute student meeting in the hallway while he was "napping" (meaning calling to me and singing "Jingle Bells" but while lying down). And then he was done.


And by then he had been in the office for 5 hours, was 2 hours late on a nap, and was bored. And of course at that point a student who really needed help showed up. And Nicholas was done. I worked with the student for awhile, with Nicholas on my lap for awhile and then stopping every second sentence to deal with him.

And then I got desperate and walked across the hall to a colleague's office. She was grading exams and I felt awful because I know she is under a time crunch, but she has two small boys and I knew she would understand. And, sure enough, I got as far as, "Nicholas won't nap and I have a student," before she was out of her chair and calling to Nicholas to come read books with her. They then used leftover boxes to make "houses" for his animals. I am so incredibly grateful.

It all worked, but was the perfect example of how in trying to simultaneously wear two hats, I didn't do either very well. And while my colleagues are very welcoming to Nicholas and don't mind him being around on occasion, 6 hours was too long and disruptive and I hate how it looks.