I have to home school my children due to Coronavirus. Now what?

We are on Week 2 of Distant Learning in Japan. From the sounds of it, many school districts back at home (the USA) are preparing for closure (and the zombie apocalypse). I am imagining the pit of dread in working parents' stomachs everywhere -- "How the hell is this going to work?" The truth is, it will be messy. There will be stress and competing demands and wine emojis. The next few weeks will make years' worth of Scary Mommy Instagram fodder.

That said, every parent I know agrees that parenting is their most important job. So here's what I have learned as a parent in my new (and additional) role of implementing a Distance Learning Plan for my second-grader.

Co-learning. At the elementary school age, distance learning is not individual learning. It is co-learning with parents. I know this is not good news for dual working parents, but plan accordingly. We receive a PowerPoint each day with instructional videos recorded by the teachers and accompanying exercises. Kids are asked to complete the work and upload a picture of it into our shared learning app. It takes me 4-5 hours/day to facilitate the learning. For working parents, mild multi-tasking is possible, but not things that require deep concentration.

The learning muscle. We have been told that the priority for the month is to prevent slippage in learning, not to propel academics forward. Keep the learning muscle active rather than stressing performance.

Expect the first few days to be bumpy. Most large scale product launches have the benefit of months of planning and QA. Public school teachers will be given approximately 24-48 hours to launch their first online product. There will be bugs. Teachers are trying their absolute best.

Shift schedule. If you have a partner and you both work, start thinking through a 'shift' schedule now. Micro-coops initiated with close-by neighbors can also be incredibly helpful.

Emotions are contagious. I am not a teacher nor do I pretend to be one at home. But any stress I feel about the learning plan is exponentially transferred to my son. Stay calm and have fun has never meant so much to me, or him.

School being closed is stressful on kids. It's not like a long, fun movie-filled snow day. My child, at least, misses his friends. When the news was announced, we were reminded as parents to make sure we told our kids we loved them ... and then to go clean their rooms. (Bravo to The American School in Japan for their leadership and communication these past few weeks!)

Try, really try, not to choose crazy. My youngest child's pre-school remains open which makes learning at home way more possible. If you have a 0-4 year old at home during all of this, a-d-j-u-s-t expectations (mainly yours, but also your team's) or you will go crazy.

Embrace technology for education if you're able to. At The American School in Japan, all children second grade and older are required to have iPads and use them every day at school (remember, private school). Screens are used for active learning in this case, not passive intake. If at all you have the opportunity to set aside a digital device for your child that's not your primary working tool, it will be really helpful. Common Sense Media is a great resource for age-appropriate content and guidance for parents. We're also having fun with GoNoodle YouTube videos during learning breaks.

There is power in routine. We start 'school' at 9am and wrap up by 2pm. We then try and spend as much time as possible outside by going to a local park. Some days I give them the choice of cleaning the whole house ... or going outside on their own to play. They always seem to be up and out very quickly. Lunch, bedtime, all other routines try and remain in tact. This may be more important for my sanity than my kids', but alas, they need me sane.

Learning and moving. With two young active boys, I have often worried that a sedentary-based classroom is not the best learning environment. With learning from home, my second grader really benefits from more movement throughout the day and flexibility in how he learns. I also have the benefit of observing how he learns in a way I have never had such close access to before.

The truth is, my child is learning a tremendous amount, apart from academics. He has a ton of questions about the world and I have the rare opportunity to be the first to answer them. Through the stress, I also see that this is my chance to be the role model I want to be.

There is a lot we cannot control right now -- in science, in the markets, in government and at work. Be rest assured that you can control the culture you create in your own home during this 'character revealing' experience.

And of course, community always helps. Good luck and wash those hands.

Debbie Wissel, a startup veteran, and a mum to two young boys is currently residing and working in Japan, struggling with the implications of the Coronavirus, as is the rest of the world.

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