“I don’t have to be
online all the time, so I reserve those times for my kids,” said Williams, an elementary
school art teacher in Newburgh. “But the balance between supporting my
preschooler and toddler is difficult at best.”
With that, she tries
to understand how parents of her students are doing the same and works her school
program, accordingly. As well, she and her colleagues meet online to share ideas and otherwise
support each other.
“The
whole idea is to help moms with several kids and those who are working remotely
and are helping their kids at the same time,” she said.
Figuring
out the new normal. Nikki D’Aleo of Poughkeepsie is at home with her husband, Jared,
both of whom are teachers, along with their two boys, Owen a first grader, and
Nate, a preschooler.
Just like everyone else, D’Aleo is trying to figure out the
new normal of being a working parent who’s now working from home. This means a
lot more screen time for everyone, so she’s intentional about unplugging and
getting outside.
Rachel Williams and her family share in other
families' challenges in juggling everyone's work,
school and lifestyle needs from home.
“I
was working 12-hour days, sitting at the table, moving my kids forward and
being a parent at home,” she said. “I was working while cooking dinner while
getting the kids outside.”
READ MORE: Moms help teens tackle social distancing
While
she’s now managing a more reasonable schedule, D’Aleo still is trying to
piecemeal everything together. And, she said, even though she has the skill set
and training to teach, she’s doing a lot of it these days. The trick is being
flexible with her kids’ schedules while staying true to a reasonable structure.
“Owen’s
teachers have designed incredible lessons that are intuitive for the kids to
navigate without parents helping the entire time,” said D’Aleo. “Now that we
are a few weeks in, I’m able to get him started and check in now and then as he
works. As a teacher myself, I know just how much time and effort went into
creating these resources, and I’m so grateful for their commitment.”
Part
of Nate’s time is spent on at-home material from daily lesson plans that
are emailed from his preschool, including useful teacher-created video lessons uploaded
from YouTube.
Getting
essential and emotional support. D’Aleo also keeps in touch with friends,
family and colleagues through messaging and social media platforms, including
FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram, online mom groups, and online work communities.
She also uses them for tips on where to find needed goods, how-tos and the
like.
“We’re
really good about weekends,” she said. “I haven’t made them do work. We just
have a weekend.”
READ MORE: 8 moms tell it like it is
Kelly Going of Glen Spey also is finding ways to attend to her
10-year-old son, Ashton, while teaching part-time from home and managing her
home-based business.
“At the Homestead School we
are working to meet the kids' needs on both levels,” said Going, whose
students are middle graders. “For academic support we've done things like
designing a daily academic tracker and a weekly academic tracker,
incorporating one-on-one and small group virtual meetings (actually that
serves both needs) and for Ashton I keep him on a strict school
schedule, starting at 9 a.m., one hour break for lunch/recess and he
works until 2:30 p.m.”
Finding balance. Going also works to provide emotional
support for her the kids in her life.
“We had numerous discussions with them about the need for balance,” Going said of her students.
“We've also tried to give assignments that force them to get outside,”
like reading outdoors on warm days and an in-the-works scavenger hunt. She’s also
focused on service, even with kids being home-bound.
Kelly Going and her son, Ashton, spend time outdoors, as is possible.
“I think service can help kids to feel like they have a small amount of control to reach
out and help others,” said Going, such as writing thank you notes, along with encouraging
letters and drawings for isolated people, first responders, small business
owners and elderly relatives.
Her son, she said, seems to
be doing well and has said that he likes being home and getting to sleep in. But
he recently had a nightmare, which some of his peers are struggling with, as
well.
"On-line, parents are reaching out to each other for suggestions,” Going said. “We plan to
increase the amount of exercise he's getting, and we will be extra
vigilant about not having the news on where he can see it.”
Karen Maserjian Shan is Hudson Valley Parent's editor.