Written by Ms Eka Fidyanti Hariyana

Ms. Eka Fidyanti Hariyana has a child who is in Primary 2 and she is also teaching online at our school.

Practical tips from a working mom like me

In this time of crisis, almost all schools around the world opted to have online classes and many companies also opted to have their employees work online. This change has been burdensome for many parents as they need to juggle duties between their work and supervising the kids. Having the kids at home with you 24/7 can be very stressful especially when you do not have helpers available. 

What should I do? Which one should I do first? How can I manage my time? Is my child progressing in online education? These are some questions that always come to a working parent’s mind.

Here’s how I managed to survive in these trying times and I hope it will work for you too! 

1. Have a heart-to-heart dialogue with your family

Since I have an extended family, I used it to my advantage. I asked in our family who can help supervise my child and thankfully have a close relative who is willing to help.  If you don’t have a relative, you can talk with your child and husband and share your schedule with each other. With this, you can match schedules and assign tasks properly.

2. Prepare your child for their online class by teaching them to be independent

I talk to my child during mealtimes and at lengths during weekends. I consider these talks as teaching moments. I always emphasize responsibility and preparedness. They must follow a routine and have a checklist so it will not be hard to supervise them. Their predictable routine will not make it hard for you to look in on them from time to time when you can have a break from your workload. It is comforting for me to know that my child is engaged in class since his routines are established.

3. Learn to control your emotions

After working you will be exhausted, rest for a while, and have a fun chat with your child. Ask him about his class for the day and check his work only when you are well-rested. A fun chat with your child will make them feel comfortable and it will greatly affect their absorption of learning.

4. Have good communication with your child’s form teacher and school

The most important for a working parent who has a child doing online classes is information and updates. Make sure you get all updates and daily notifications from the school. It helps you to follow up on your child’s learning process for the day. Ask your child’s form teacher if you do not get any notification or daily update from school. It would be better also if you get a weekly report of your child’s online class.

This is a hard time for all of us. We need to adapt to this new normal. But as parents, even though we are stressed on every side, our child’s education must be a priority. I managed to survive this because of effective time management and communication with my family. You will realise that as time passes, the pressure eases and things will get better.