It was just before 6 p.m. when Robert Edmonds burst through his front door after a full day at work. He hoped there would be a dinner plate for him on the counter as he dashed to his basement office and a Zoom class that would keep him tied up until 10 p.m.
Claudia Edmonds moved in the opposite direction. She was heading out for an overnight shift as a surgical technician at UVA Health.
Somewhere in the seams of this harried hand-off were five kids in the house, from 2 to almost 19.
Add to this chaos two more challenges: Robert and Claudia Edmonds are each pursing degrees at the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies in part-time, online programs designed for working adults.
“It’s stressful sometimes, the way things are now,” Robert said. “But fortunately, you know, all the pieces seem to come together. Even if they sometimes come together at the last minute.”
The Edmonds – currently of Gordonsville, but soon moving to Charlottesville – are like many students at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. They work full time. They have a houseful of kids. And they have all the obligations that come with that life, like managing soccer practice, family dinners and bedtime routines.
But if they can still find time to pursue degrees, Robert said, then anyone can.
“The nice thing about this program is that it is very flexible,” Robert said. “We have classes in the evening, and almost all of them we can do from home. We can both still work full-time jobs and maintain our lifestyle while working towards our degrees.”