Chris Skaros, a social studies teacher, has two young children: Cooper, four, and Charlie two. Skaros’s wife is also a teacher and teaches at Silver Lake Intermediate in Summit. 

With both parents being teachers, Skaros said, “It can be hard to find a break in the day. Teaching is not physically demanding, but it is physically draining. I love playing with my kids and spending time with them, but sometimes after a long day, I would like a break.”

When the pandemic was at its height, Skaros would have to deal with potential sick kids at Arrowhead  and then at his children’s daycare. 

He says, “It was hard sometimes due to contact tracing at the daycare. I didn’t have to go on paternity leave when my wife had Charlie, so with all the sick days I have saved up, it was primarily me that would leave and take care of the kids when they did get contact traced. We didn’t want to potentially expose either of our parents.”

He said, “What has been great about this pandemic is that I can still teach online even if I’m not in person. Canvas has been great for communication, and my students seem to comprehend the material well.”

Skaros said, “I see the value of education in a different way. I also know what’s important in my kids’ development. For me, I’m more focused on my son being emotionally and socially ready for school than anything else, because if he likes school then the academics will come along. In the end, we are just developing human beings.”

Skaros has been teaching at Arrowhead for nine years. Skaros says, “Since being a teacher and a father, my dad jokes have definitely gotten better.” 

With summer around the corner, Skaros gets to spend more time with his children. He said, “In the summer, we go to the zoo and have a membership. We go to museums and the playground. We try and do a lot with the kids. I coach summer baseball but that is mostly in the afternoons. We go camping, all over. The absolute biggest perk of being a teacher is being off in the summer and spending time with my kids.”

Skaros said, “I completely recognize I’m not the first teacher to be a parent; it’s a struggle for all of us to balance school and life at home. We all just do what we think is best and that is okay.”