5 Tips for Teleworking While Managing Your Kids Remote Learning

Are you trying to manage your child’s schooling while still trying to be gainfully employed? Well, so am I. You are not alone. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions many schools around the country have closed. This has placed the duty of teaching our children daily onto parents. Now, homeschooling has been occurring for many years but this was not planned or expected for many of us now embarking on the journey to be teachers at home.

I recently read a social media post that said, “I’m not working from home. I’m at home during a global crisis trying to work.” I thought it was a perfect way to describe the situation in which many of us find ourselves today.

If I was JUST working from home. I would have everything I need for my office in place. I would have set up the perfect home office environment which would include my spacious work space, my competent schedule, my fully equipped area. I also would most likely not be managing my child’s remoter learning while performing my full-time work from home job.

Instead I find myself in total opposite scenario. I’m setting up my home office and preparing my child’s remote learning work station as well. I’m trying to figure out home my Zoom staff meeting works while trying to remind my child to log into Google Classroom to view their assignments. I do this all while monitoring the news for daily Covid-19 updates. It is quite a balancing act, but it is not impossible.

Listed below are some tips to get any parent embarking on this journey with me off to a good start.

1. Create a schedule. No, we will not be getting up at 5:30am to catch the bus. However, we need to get up by 8am and have breakfast. In our house we have assigned a designated breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime. This keeps the large chunks of our day consistent and allows for the kitchen to get cleaned before the next meal begins.
2. Take Breaks. Now that everyone has to be on their technology devices for hours at a time, I have added screen time breaks into our schedule. 15 minutes outside or walking around the house can boost everyone’s mood. I also try to monitor how much academic time vs. game time or television time the kids are getting. If I don’t keep track my 8-year-old would volley back and forth between her video game, her google classroom and her Disney Plus. She could rack up to 6 hours on screen time before I know it.
3. Schedule A Family Meeting. In the traditional work environment, we have a weekly staff meeting. I apply this same concept to my new home situation. All of the co-workers/family members gather on a set day and we debrief about coming events or concerns.
4. Recognize Teachable Moments. I’ve decided to delegate some of my responsibilities to my new coworkers/children. Those coworkers/children who didn’t know how to do laundry are now learning. Those coworkers/children who didn’t know how to cook tacos are now learning. This has freed up more time for myself as well as allowed them to learn some life skills that they will need once they move out.
5. Create Individual Work Spaces. Since we all need to be working, we worked together to set up individual work spaces for each family member. One person is at the kitchen table. One person is in the dining room. This helps keep the noise and the distractions down to a minimum.

Unexpected adjustments can be extremely difficult. However, devising a plan, communicating with your family, and allowing yourself to make mistakes can help make these difficult adjustments more manageable. I encourage you to try some of the tips listed above. If you would like more assistance, and are in the Raleigh area, parent consultation services are available. Check out our website for more information.