How to Create ‘Home School-Home Office’ Success.

Being thrust into home schooling is challenge that most parents had not been anticipating. It’s a new format for many households, and supporting your child to learn the material can be time consuming. The complexity can be compounded for those parents who work, or have other responsibilities.

Here are just a few of the ways working parents can support their children during distance learning, which has been implemented in many countries as a safety precaution in the face of COVID-19.

1.      Share the load

The evidence suggests, regardless of hours worked, or who gets paid more, that women still often pick up more of the unpaid domestic & care work. The fact that the term ‘working mother’ is part of common conversation, yet the paternal counterpart is rarely referenced, is indicative in itself. If you are in a household with two parents, it’s important to discuss as a couple what needs to be done to support your child, and how you can support each other.

2.      Design an intentional morning routine, and enjoy it together

We’re used to getting up, getting dressed, packing lunches, and heading out to the office or school Adults and children alike have suddenly lost this routine we probably always took for granted. There are many benefits to routines in general, but the loss of the often rushed, and mundane rigmarole of getting out of the house offers an opportunity to build a more intentional set of activities. Brainstorm morning routine ideas that will engergise you, together with your child for best chances of buy-in and for a happier day ahead.

3.      Take breaks together

Working and studying from home is sometimes associated with people slacking off. Often though the opposite can be true, and work can seep into personal time quite easily when there’s no school bell, or need to leave a physical office. Agree what times you will take a break, and hold each other accountable. Your quality of work will likely improve, as well as offering a chance for you to touch base with your child.

4.      Set boundaries with each other

Wearing different hats, such as employee, parent and learning supporter, will be a familiar scenario. But now it seems we are to wear them all at the same time. This can leave relationships strained as you struggle to be productive, or the child feels niggled about their education from morning until night.

Explain that your relationship in the day is similar to that of the teacher; to keep them accountable to learning and instill a sense of discipline. Share also, that you also have work to do, and agree on a signal that indicates when it’s important for you not to be disturbed. Design way to end your day that is fun and intentional, to signal that its time to leave the learning supervisor/student dynamic behind, and enjoy that parent/child connection to the fullest.

5.      Set them up for self-sufficiency

Instead of being getting a tap on the shoulder for every small question, discuss different options with them on how to be more self-sufficient with finding information.

For example, you could share ideas for what type of questions can be Googled, or concepts might be explained by searching YouTube ‘How-To’ videos. Create browser bookmarks for useful learning resources.

Explore how your child can best contact their teacher through the e-learning platform. And perhaps if you have family or a friend who has time and is willing, have them on speed dial in case the child wants to speak through something. It may be useful to have regular intervals in the day to help your child address any queries they could not resolve themselves.

6.      Notice and discuss emotions

Throughout all of this, remember, this is a naturally challenging dynamic. Emotions may be heighted due to big changes, possible health anxieties, and simply spending a lot of time with the same people in a limited space. Friction is bound to happen, what’s importance is how you bounce back. Talking about emotions, both yours and your child’s, is an important part of creating a healthy home school-home office dynamic.

7.      Review what’s working (and what’s not)

In the workplace, it’s recommended to have a periodic performance or ‘way of working’ review. These often follow a ‘stop, start, continue’ framework. That is; what you want the other to stop doing, what behaviors you would like to see them start doing, and what you notice they are doing well and should continue doing. Make this a two-way review. You don’t have to take on board all the feedback received, but it should open up a healthy discussion and maybe spark some ideas to make it better for everyone involved.

 By Lorna King

Copywrite - Mariam Farag