Setting Up for Distance Learning Success: Advice from a Work from Home Mom

I worked in an office for over 12 years. Although I dreaded my daily commute, I loved working in an office surrounded by my awesome coworkers. I thrived in an environment when my schedule was filled with meetings, literally speed-walking from one to the next. One day, I made the decision to change career paths, which removed me from my comfortable office space and landed me in an even more comfortable spot – my home. I am NOT a homebody, so although I love my new job, the “work from home” aspect of it was slightly terrifying. The good news? I am a year and a half in and I have survived…it hasn’t been a perfect road, but I now have developed a new normal and am finally thriving once again.

This background feels comparable to what children will experience given that COVID-19 has sentenced us to distance learning for a while! During their “work” week, your school-aged children are typically surrounded by their awesome friends and learning on a tight schedule each day. While there is no way to completely replicate their typical day at school, it’s so important for their success (and for your sanity!) that we try to ensure the rug isn’t completely pulled out from under them. I hope my advice below will help minimize the impact of this crazy situation and the new normal we are faced with!

Get Dressed

Okay, so when I transitioned from working in an office to working from home, the fact that I could work in yoga pants all day literally made me giddy. I went from business casual to athleisure wear overnight…I mean, pinch me! Personally, I have found I can be productive working in any style clothing…it’s the act of waking up, brushing my teeth, washing my face, fixing my hair (even if it’s into a messy bun), changing OUT of my pajamas, and even putting on some shoes (not sure why shoes make me feel like I’m ready to tackle the day, but they do!) that puts me into a productive, “now let’s get serious” mindset. As soon as they announced school closings, I told my kids this doesn’t mean they can wear pajamas all day, every day. Pajama days are THE BEST, but there is a time and place for them…so for productive “school” days, try sticking to your normal morning routine!

Create a Dedicated Learning Space

Over the last year and a half, I have created a home office space that I now love. It’s my dedicated space for work productivity – it has great natural lighting, comfortable seating, and, most importantly, all of the “tools” I need are within reach. While you don’t need an elaborate home office to get through this COVID-19 situation, I would recommend setting up a dedicated space for your kids’ learning time. For our family, this will be our dining room. Our dining room is visible from both my home office space and our kitchen (probably the 2 most occupied spaces during a weekday). It is equipped with an adequate work surface (our table), comfortable seating, natural lighting (we need you, sunshine!). My kids have added supplies they feel they need – pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, notebooks, etc. My husband and I have also added charging stations as some of their distance learning will be completed on iPads. Take a few minutes to determine where your kids dedicated space will be and stock it with necessities. Minimizing the number of times you are up searching for supplies, will maximize productive time!

Minimize Distractions

Y’all, you think your coworkers are distracting?!? Try being at home with dirty dishes, clothes that need to be folded and put away, a TV staring at you just longing to be watched! Some of these distractions are easy to deal with – I mean, don’t even turn on the TV until work (or schoolwork) is complete. By not turning it on, you can’t get sucked in…boom! As for other distractions (i.e., dirty dishes), find ways to minimize them as much as possible. Trying to focus on work while there is a long list of “to do’s” around the house is hard for me, so my husband and I try hard to stay on top of these nagging tasks before and after our workday. Pinpoint the biggest distractions at your house and determine ways to help keep them at bay during your “productive” time.

Eat the Frog

If the first thing you do in the morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst is behind you. Although I can’t find the origin of this quote (some say Mark Twain, some dispute this and contribute it to an unknown author), this is a quote I have always lived by regardless of where I am working – whether at home or in an office. Basically, your frog is your least favorite task each day, so why not tackle it first instead of dreading it all throughout your day? For your kid, Math work might be his frog. So have him finish his Math work before you even finish your first cup of coffee!

Create a Schedule

I know, I know…you are laughing hysterically at my naivety…do I actually think my kids will follow a schedule throughout the day while they are doing distance learning?? Actually, I do. While distance learning is in place, our parental responsibility has increased, but work expectations for my husband and I haven’t necessarily decreased (although, we are lucky that we can at least work from home). The very FIRST thing I said to the kids when we found out school was closed was “Guys, this does not mean the next few weeks will be a “free for all.” Rules in our house will continue as usual and each day you will have learning activities we will prioritize.” Their unruly, crazy cheering dropped to a more appropriate level of “yay”. My kids learn to “put first things first” at school, so in this spirit I am working with them to develop a daily schedule. We will prioritize schoolwork (with active breaks, of course) early in the day. My thought is that engaging them to help create the schedule will also make it easier to enforce it (after all, they created it, right?). Please note: although we are creating a schedule to “stick to”, I know the “stick to” it part will be a little loose…I expect our schedule will be more of a “flow of actions throughout the day” than a strict on-time schedule.

As part of your schedule, make sure you have pre-prepared snacks and lessons before the day begins. These “prep” activities can add unnecessary stress throughout the day, so sit down with a cup of coffee before the kids wake up each morning (or a glass of wine the night before 😊 ) and make sure you are ready!

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons: A Few Perks of Distance Learning

I’m a generally positive person, and although I am not trying to make light of our current situation, I thought I would include a few “perks” I have found from my new “work from home” normal:

• • “Working from home” doesn’t have to mean working inside the home. During my first fall working from home, I realized how nice fresh air was (duh!)…so I bought a small, inexpensive table and chair from target that is now deemed my “outside office”. We are on the brink of winter weather turning into spring, finally! If allergies don’t get the best of you during this time, try finding a good space outside where your kids can learn.
  • Your kids used to have a schedule created by their school or teachers. Now, they can help create their schedule for the day (with your guidance, of course!). Let them help create a schedule that allows them to “eat the frog” at the beginning of the day and allocate longer recess breaks throughout the day. As it relates to my work, I “reward” productive time with quick walks in my neighborhood to get some fresh air and sunshine.
  • Plan some fun activities into your days! I will admit – my kids are probably over-scheduled. They rush to school in the morning and then to extra-curriculars in the afternoon. Their weekdays are extremely scheduled which leaves very little time for random fun. Since our family’s schedule has almost literally gone out the window, my husband and I have been thinking through extra little fun things for the kids to do – for instance, today the kids are planting seeds so they can watch their flowers grow over the coming weeks. We are also planning to check our birdhouses regularly to see if we get new friends!
  • Add some “happy” into their dedicated work space. If I have a looming, complicated task that I’m not looking forward to, I fix myself a good cup of tea and hunker down. I also love diffusing different oils – and I can now do it without bothering co-workers (btw, if you are diffusing oils at work around other people, just know that you are being talked about…). Find something that makes your kids happy and makes their space more personal. My kids also love hot tea, so I told them we could make a cup when they start working each day (it doesn’t take a lot of effort, but they were still super excited about this “treat” that they normally wouldn’t have in school).
  • Increase your kid’s household responsibilities. I am so excited about this one! Here’s my theory – in their classrooms, most of our kids have specific responsibilities… I mean, my son was once responsible for ensuring his teacher’s walkie talkie made it outside each day during recess, my daughter is now on the “technology crew” in her classroom, ensuring any technology they engage in is up and running in time for required use. My thought is (and you may already have this in place… if so, bravo!), why not create specific responsibilities for your kids while they are home? Helping setup the table before each meal, clear the table after each meal, bring down dirty clothes when it’s time for a new load, wiping down counter tops, getting the mail each day, watering plants… the list of possible responsibilities is endless! Like I said earlier, our parental responsibilities have increased, so figure out ways to spread the love.

Alright mamas, I am not an expert at this…I’m just another mom trying to keep her sanity during this time. Please comment with any other tips you have – I would love to hear them! I will end on this…for the next few weeks, allow yourself some grace.  Each day will not be perfect, but hopefully you find some perfect moments within them. Good luck and God speed.