Tales of Working, Parenting, Finishing School, and Planning for a Future in the Age of COVID-19
This May I will officially graduate from the University of Montana with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. I had looked forward to this moment for a long time. For two long arduous years, I had balanced the difficult challenges of attending school and providing for a family of six. Now I realize that my challenges have just begun. For millions of graduates nationwide, the COVID-19 outbreak has deferred any plans for the future and forced us to take one day at a time. Each day is now an exercise in patience, time management, and humility.
My typical day involves rising at around 7 am so I can get some work done before the rest of my household wakes up. (I am lucky enough to be able to work from home as a paid employee of the ASUM Renter Center.) I make use of this time to write blog posts like this one. I also check in with my boss to see what he wants me to get done for the week. Although we do not currently occupy a physical office on campus, the ASUM Renter Center continues to deliver services remotely to student renters in need of assistance and referral.
I have found that our services are more vital than ever as renters are faced with the potential task of negotiating with their landlords to pay rent at a later date. Anyone having trouble in this endeavor can refer to a previous blog post. We also have blog posts detailing the specifics of Governor Bullock’s order to halt evictions and utility terminations, how renters can prepare for the next fall semester, the importance of prioritizing mental health while sheltering in place, how to keep up with schoolwork while learning remotely, and how students can continue to access SNAP benefits.
We hope to continue our mission of providing accurate and helpful advice for student renters as they shelter in place and struggle to maintain adequate housing. We are in direct contact with representatives of the city and other agencies dedicated to providing sustainable housing opportunities for vulnerable residents. According to health experts, a key to stopping the spread of coronavirus infection is to keep as many people housed as possible so they can practice safe social distancing and sheltering in place practices. We at the ASUM Renter Center aim to do our part in contributing to the public health of our community during this unprecedented crisis.
In addition to fulfilling my work duties, I also make use of my early morning regimen to get caught up on schoolwork when possible. I still have a list of papers, group presentations/projects, and readings to complete. The transition to remote learning has presented its own list of challenges. I typically prefer to learn on campus where I can separate myself from the distractions of home life and interact with professors and peers face-to-face. The dividing lines between work, school, and home are no longer concrete and need to be stretched to accommodate a delicate balance of responsibilities. The headspace and emotional reserve needed to hand in graduate-level papers on complex subjects are no longer readily available. Luckily, my ordeal with virtual schooling will end in a few short weeks.
At around 9 am, the other members of my household wake up to begin their day. For my three stepchildren, that means getting started on their own remote learning responsibilities. At this point, I put off my work for the next few hours so I can assist them in completing their assignments for the week. I hand off my laptop computer to my stepdaughter so she can sign in for Zoom meetings with her teachers and advisors throughout the late morning and early afternoon. My wife and I typically divvy up our homeschooling duties by focusing on the subjects we are strongest in. For her, that means helping out with math and science. For me, that means helping out with social studies and language arts. My wife, by some divine source of inspiration, is able to relearn much of the math she first learned twenty-five years ago. I am blessed with the easier task of helping to define vocabulary words and googling answers to questions about 1950s pop culture, the Roaring Twenties, the Renaissance, and Ancient Greece. If I’m feeling brave, I might help out with a quiz about volcanoes.
In addition to tending to our three public school-age children, my wife and I also have to find ways to preoccupy our four-year-old daughter who often needs attention and feels left out in the hustle and bustle of our active and chaotic household. Before the social distancing restrictions came into place, she was in the midst of completing her first year of pre-school. Now she stays at home all day and tries to make sense of her altered and frantic world from her innocent and tender vantage point. Although she doesn’t have any specific homework assignments, we have been advised by her teachers to read to her regularly and to encourage her to practice writing her name.
Now that the weather is starting to improve, we try to get the kids outside more regularly so they can take a break from their school work. A few days ago, we dug up a fire pit in our yard and cooked hotdogs and smores over an open fire for dinner. Living in rural Montana, we also have access to a number of hiking trails within five minutes of our home. Taking time to remain active and commune with nature has helped to relieve added amounts of stress.
The time of day I look forward to the most is the few hours before bed when my wife and I decompress by watching episodes of America’s Got Talent on Hulu. Until recently, I had never watched this show regularly and probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it under regular circumstances. But something about finding pleasure in the simple and uncomplicated joys of life provided by the show has steadied my resolve and fortified my commitment to approaching my life one day at a time.
On the weekends, my step kids leave to live with their father. While my wife focuses on growing her online jewelry business, I help out by tending to our daughter. My weekend regiment thus consists of playing with dolls and participating in games of hide-and-go-seek. If I can settle her down with a movie or television show to watch, I can usually get more work done. But I have recently learned the value in setting aside non-productive time, time to daydream, time to zone out, time to do nothing. During these unstructured spaces of time, I find myself more contemplative and more grateful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I have a loving wife and family and a roof over my head. I have a pantry full of food and access to over sixty rolls of toilet paper if needed. Not every day is easy, but every day offers a host of blessings.
Once social distancing guidelines have been lifted, I will wade into a job market fundamentally altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for social workers will be high, but it remains to be seen if the social safety net will stretch far enough to accommodate the need for more social workers. For now, many agencies responsible for hiring master’s level social workers are not looking for new applicants. Budgets have been cut, resources have been curtailed, and services have been discontinued for the immediate future.
The long-term results of these temporary cutbacks may be catastrophic for vulnerable individuals and communities affected by the pandemic. As couples and families have been forced to shelter in place, incidents of domestic violence have climbed. More and more children are being abused and neglected without the protective shield provided by attendance in public schools. Rates of alcohol consumption have gone up. Those recovering from substance abuse no longer have steady access to treatment programs and support networks to help them cope with their addictions. Children in foster care no longer have the opportunity to visit with relatives face-to-face. The ordeals of losing work and enforced isolation have created new cases of anxiety and depression. The xenophobic response to the pandemic in some quarters has created a spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans. The grieving process for many Americans is just getting started as deaths related to coronavirus infections continue to skyrocket. The need for counselors, experts, and specialists to sort out these escalating cases of suffering and hardship and stage meaningful and evidence-based interventions is monumental and will consume the time and efforts of graduates like myself who have chosen to embark upon a career in social work.
As many prognosticators forecast, life as we once knew it will never return to normal. Livelihoods will be lost, long term plans will be disrupted, and expectations for the future will be irrevocably downgraded. This is especially true for millennials who have now experienced two major economic crises in their adult lives prior to reaching middle age. Americans living in this century have now lived through three cataclysmic events: 9/11, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Bridge to the 21st Century once spoken of by President Bill Clinton during more optimistic times is now broken. What remains is a gaping abyss that will haunt us for many years to come.
Perhaps we have been given a forecast of what awaits us as human industry continues to ravage the environment and hastens our eventual showdown with the certainties of climate change. Or perhaps we have been given a preview of what the world could look like if we step back and reexamine our priorities. As humanity seemingly suffers, the world around us has begun to heal. In the skies above many previously smog-ridden cities, blue vistas are now visible. For the first time in thirty years, the Himalayas are now visible to residents inhabiting cities in northern India. Scientists have noticed a drop in planetary vibrations. If alterations in human activity can create these kinds of results in just over a month, imagine what can be achieved if societies commit to long term plans to mitigate their environmental impact.
While we mourn the passing of what was, we should consider the possibilities of what may come to pass. Hundreds of years from now, our descendants may look back upon our present predicament as a time when we took stock of ourselves and the future we bequeathed to subsequent generations. Or they may look back upon this time as a moment when we squandered our opportunity to create a more sustainable world. As we recover from the setbacks precipitated by this pandemic, we should be mindful of the hardships we bear for ourselves and the ones we pass on to our children and grandchildren.
