Schools have been closed all over China since the Chinese New Year in January. We started working from home at the start of February, and our children have attended school remotely sitting together at our dining room table. The initial closure was for two weeks, and then was extended into March. As of today, the return date is still uncertain. So while we have not been under formal quarantine, we have been very limited in where we can go and what we can do. In this time we have had to adjust to a life very different from what we were used to.

Set Up A Routine

We understand many people already work from home as a normal part of their jobs, but it was new for us and it took some adjustments. Teaching is typically a very face-to-face kind of work. Homeschooling is also something people do, but it was also new to us, and a challenge to keep up with while we are also working.

Early on there was a sense of “Groundhog Day,” as one day blended into another. Creating structure and routines has helped. We set an alarm and get up just a bit later than we would on a normal workday. At the start, we joked about wearing pajamas all day every day, but that soon got tiresome. So we get dressed.

We do the same with our children. It was important that they understand this is not an open-ended vacation from school. They do sleep in a little later than they would on a normal school day, but then they come downstairs, eat breakfast, and get set up in the dining room for a distinctive type of school day while we go into a spare bedroom set up as an office.

We have been taking a lunch break every day around noon. We all stop what we are doing and eat together. We have been watching “The Price is Right” or “The People’s Court” while we eat. It feels a little like the best part of staying home from school when you were sick as a kid. It’s a small pleasure, but something we couldn’t do under normal circumstances. And then we get back to work.

For the kids, it has been important to set limits on how long they work. Even though they are getting their assignments digitally from their teachers, it has been important to check in with them throughout the day. Tasks can sprawl, and more than once we have come across one of them close to tears because they worked on an assignment far longer than required. Their teachers are doing great work, but it can be difficult to estimate what an assignment looks like to a middle schooler who wants to do their best but who has no immediate feedback or classmates around to whom they can compare themselves.

We also try to stop work at a reasonable time. The kids wrap up early in the afternoon. As teachers, it has been trickier for us. Many of our students are not keeping regular hours, or they dispersed to their home countries, so they are turning in work throughout the day and into the night. Work often spreads into the evening, and we work longer hours now than we would on a normal workday. We have not found a solution to this. But getting to watch “The Price is Right” has been some consolation.

See The Value In Screen Time

Like a lot of parents, we are aware of our children’s screen time and worry about it, despite having watched vast amounts of TV when we were their age. If we left it up to them, we might not have an upper limit on how much time they played video games. And they would happily spend unbroken hours messaging friends and watching YouTube videos.

Under normal circumstances, we set limits and try to move them toward more productive pursuits. We have not given up on this, but we have become more forgiving and see the value in some of the games they play. Just Dance on the Playstation has them exercising. Minecraft can be a remarkably clever game. Even Fortnite has its value as we listen to them talking and strategizing with friends across town and around the world.