LOCKDOWN
“The first week of lockdown was truly hellish.”
Ali’s story:
I chose not to do too much with my children during
lockdown. Home-schooling was proving stressful and even
though we managed to get through a lot of the basics, by the
afternoon the kids just wanted to play. I think being at home
makes a difference. Going to school, wearing their school
uniform and being in that school environment also sets them
up for a different mindset. I understood because I felt the
same when I was working from home. It is more difficult
to concentrate in your familiar home surroundings. I can
easily get distracted by household jobs and life admin, while
trying to keep up with emails, take conference calls and make
lunches for two constantly hungry children. They wanted to
eat more than they normally would on a regular school day!
But I suppose a lot of us found that, that we would snack
and nibble constantly throughout the day. It’s just the lack of
structure.
My biggest challenge was to draw those boundaries. When
did school end? When did I stop working and switch off?
None of us did that and it was difficult. I think we felt like we
were switched on constantly. On the plus side, I really enjoyed
getting to adapt my evenings with the children again. I think
for some families this has been a very good thing because we
have had the chance to spend more time together. I couldn’t
go to my normal workout class so I did the PE with Joe Wicks
with the kids and we would do more arty things together and
some baking. I’ll take those things forward if I can because
they really enjoyed that and so did I. I also think it helped
that my husband was still working away from home. It would
have been even more difficult and crowded if we were all in the
house together every day, trying to work and help the children.
Sarah’s story:
I really loved teaching during lockdown. I tried not to worry
too much about getting everything done. My daughter’s school
was amazing though and everyone was very understanding. I
think the teachers were trying to get the balance right and
it felt like we were all just trying to get through schooling
together. My daughter loved doing work at home and luckily
is old enough to work quite independently.
Emma’s story:
“The first week of lockdown was truly hellish.” I’ll
paraphrase Emma’s experience; it sounds like she had so
much on her plate, and I was full of admiration for her as
she opened up to me about her challenges. From IT issues
and constantly checking emails for schoolwork, having
to work until late into the night trying to do her own job
effectively and also looking after parents (whilst cleaning,
cooking and shopping), I could completely see where
these extra stresses came from for Emma and her family.
“It got to the point where we could count a good day as
being one when my son and I didn’t argue about schoolwork”
Emma explains. “But I contacted my son’s school and they
were great, very supportive and he got regular phone calls to
support and reassure him.”
Working from 9am – 10pm herself, life was certainly fullon.
Like many others, Emma had to be extra vigilant because
of vulnerable parents. Even the mail was being wiped down
and there were strict sanitising procedures in place. With her
father not being able to go out to the shops or pharmacy, and
a particularly vulnerable mother to care for, this is something
she took into her own hands, and not only did her job,
schooling and her own home management but looked after
her parents, doing tasks that might ordinarily be spread out.
It was very humbling hearing about Emma’s life these last
months. This was her reality. The impact on her son was
visible, and at times he would get very upset. He certainly was
not alone. Many of the parents and students I have spoken to
have found this experience to have had some effect on their
wellbeing, with a lot of tears and worry. It’s unprecedented
stress, and I honestly applaud every pupil, parent and person
who had to deal with the difficulties they faced. I hope they
take happiness in knowing that they have come out the other
side. Emma, if you’re reading this, I’m sure there are many
reading your experience nodding along in solidarity.
Carrie’s story:
Carrie sent me a little snippet of one of her ‘fun’ experiences of
working whilst on lockdown, which she kindly agreed I could
share. Carrie has a 2-year-old, who, one morning, she decided
to leave ‘for ten minutes’ to add herself onto a quick Zoom
meeting. Plonking her offspring in front of Peppa Pig with a
handful of carrot sticks seemed a simple and foolproof plan.
However, just as she was greeting her colleagues and they were
going through the important tasks of the day, her little angel
came over, pants on her head and promptly explained to all
and sundry that she had had a little accident on the carpet.
“I was mortified” explains Carrie “but to be honest everyone
found it hilarious and I think they all just understood that
it’s just one of those things’. Promptly excusing herself to
now spend a chunk of her morning cleaning a carpet, Carrie
explains that she just realised that in situations like lockdown,
where life is just life, anything can happen. And it often does.
At the end of the day, I think many will agree that as an island,
we have done a pretty good job. Personal struggles have been
part of many of our journeys this half of the year, and we’ve
had to adapt to life in a whole new way. But it can also help
make us stronger as people and as a community too. •
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
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