Ah Yes, the Easy Life in the Ivory Tower

Re the Jan. 20 editorial, “Summers Off,” which mentioned how easy it is for academics to combine raising a family with their profession, let me tell you how I did that: I went to sleep with the kids, about 7:45 to 8 p.m. I woke up about 1 a.m., and by 1:30 or so had forced enough caffeine into my system to go to work. I then wrote until 7 a.m., by which time my wife had given the children their breakfast. I took them to school, then went to work.

If my wife, also an academic, was busy in the afternoons I picked them up, gave them dinner and then went to sleep with them. I pursued this schedule for about seven years, weekdays and weekends, winters and yes, even summers.

I am intrigued that you should call this “easy.” Perhaps you too should do what you recommend for Summers, and return to the classroom.

John McCumber

Professor of Germanic languages, UCLA