We're all trying to cope with COVID-19 in the best way we can. What is keeping your spirits up?
UNE Education lecturer Tay Garrad has been working from home for about three weeks in order to safeguard the health of her ailing mother, for whom she is the primary carer. She's also been supervising the schooling of two children and preparing to move house.
In the first part of what will be a rolling series, Tay provides some valuable insights and advice on how to look on the bright side.
Part 1: From the trenches
"We started self-isolating because my mother's health is compromised. There's my 14-year-old daughter, plus my 12-year-old nephew. My Mum is isolated in the lounge room and my nephew in a bedroom, because he's just arrived from Queensland, where his mother is an essential health worker. We have to be very, very careful, and Mum can't leave the house.
“I'm working out of my bedroom, running eight tutorials a week for the 112 UNE students studying my three subjects; it's pretty much business as usual. I'm probably doing the same amount of work over a longer period of time, working to a different pace, in a different place, to a different timetable.
“When you go into isolation, you have to completely rethink what your day will look like and how it will be structured. My advice is to plan early. It takes families a couple of weeks to get into their new routine, to get home offices set up, for kids to settle in. There's a lot of shifting going on for families right now and it's not easy, but it's important to get routines in place before the school holidays.
“I'm having realistic conversations with the kids, that this might last for 8-12 weeks, but we've turned off the news. I'm keeping up-to-date, but it's quite alarming for them to keep hearing words like 'isolation' and 'lock-down'; it can easily cause anxiety.”
Be realistic and flexible
“It depends on how many children you have at home, and their ages, but just as our children won't be having the same structured school day, we won't have the same structured work day. Be realistic about what you can achieve and what you expect of the students in your family.
“Flexibility is the key. But I still think that keeping something of a routine is important, otherwise everyone starts sleeping in. We're still getting up at a reasonable time, having breakfast and then splitting the day into work blocks. It's good to have a dedicated space for the kids, and for most families that will be the dining-room table.
“Parents can be thinking of themselves more as teacher's aides than teachers. My kids have school activities in the morning and again in the afternoon, with a big break in between. When they're working, I'm working - answering emails, having Zoom meetings - and I'm getting back to work later in the day. The kids are focusing on the core modules, with some project work for other electives. You can make a lot of things - like cooking and art - learning opportunities, and still ensure the day is constructive. Older children can even help supervise younger ones.
“Although we will be dependent on technology, it's still critical to limit the amount of screen time and to encourage kids to go outside and kick a ball or have a short walk from time to time. It's good for adults, too. One of the biggest things for us is going to be getting enough exercise, otherwise the kids will go stir crazy. But they can still play outside or we can get in the car and go hiking. You don't have to feel as though you are trapped in the four walls of your house.
“The biggest thing is to be kind to yourself.”
What do you think we will we learn through this crisis?
“I think we will discover that some students really love distance learning. Other students will really miss the social aspects of school or university. Many people will also come to really appreciate teachers, and teachers will learn about building strong relationships with students when they are not face-to-face.
“As our workforce and individual tasks are split, I think some employees will learn that there is far more flexibility in their role than they thought.
“My hope is that we also discover that it takes a community to get through things like this, but that we can be very creative in our use of technology. It was my dad's 75th birthday recently, so we had an isolation party on Facetime, with my dad and one brother in Brisbane, a brother in Indonesia, my sister on the Gold Coast, and me in Guyra. We chatted and laughed for 40 minutes and sang him Happy Birthday. There are lots of ways we can still engage with family and friends.
“We're all coping OK; the world hasn't stopped. We've still got 2-minute noodles in the cupboard."
