A snow day grounding employees, parents and kids at home is one thing. A pandemic, as many working at home for an extended period of time are finding, presents a different set of challenges.
For Christine Hisick, an administrative assistant from Valparaiso who works in the Chicago Loop, the stay-at-home mandate is providing unexpected bliss. She’s no longer spending three hours round trip on the ChicaGo Dash commuter bus service from Valparaiso, a trip she says wears on her.
Hisick, who lives alone, hasn’t worked from home before.
“I’m really enjoying it. I love it,” she said. “Naturally I’m introverted so it’s a better environment for me to work. I’m more focused here and more productive.”
Hisick said it’s still a big adjustment that she’s getting used to and is a different way of doing things, including using videoconferencing software. Her manager encouraged using the software so she and her co-workers could still see each other and a meeting held via videoconference was productive.
While she likes her job and going to it, Hisick said, she finds working from home instead of commuting more peaceful and less exhausting.
Hisick, like many others, will be working from home for the foreseeable future, especially in light of the fact that Indiana joined several other states in an executive order for residents to stay at home. The order took effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday and continues for two weeks.
“If I need to go to the store, I go to the store but I try not to go out at all,” Hisick said.
Carrie Bedwell and her husband, Rob, are teachers at Merrillville High School, and their son, Thayer, 6, is in kindergarten. The Bedwells are now balancing teaching their students and their son online.
“As we’re trying to teach our lessons to our students, we’re also trying to juggle helping our son complete his assignments as well,” said Carrie Bedwell, who lives in Hobart, adding her son’s teachers “have been fabulous with their videos and lessons.”
Bedwell, who is an English teacher, and her husband, who teaches history, spend their mornings doing lessons with their students and then take turns working with Thayer in the afternoon.
Thayer was on spring break last week, Bedwell said, and the Merrillville schools are on break this week, so that should help.
“We have dealt with e-learning with him previously but it goes to a whole new level when you know it’s going to be long-term,” she said.
The family has done Thayer’s exercise videos together “because we all need to get exercise,” she said.
The Merrillville schools haven’t really done e-learning before, Bedwell said, adding to her challenge, though her husband is more comfortable with the format. She’s found it’s an opportunity to grow as a teacher and find different ways to use the technology.
“It’s been a little bit of an adjustment because we’re not all used to being cooped up in the same place,” she said. “We’re all trying to help each other the best we can.”
“This is not normal. We’ve had a couple e-learning days but nothing like this,” said Anthony Duron-Rainwater, the exceptional learning coordinator for the Griffith schools.
Duron-Rainwater is trying to figure out how best to serve a student population that requires Individualized Education Programs, testing and other services that are difficult to deliver remotely.
“Some schools are looking at using technology,” but it’s difficult to assess a student with autism online, said Duron-Rainwater, of Portage.
Deadlines still have to be met for IEPs, he said, adding he’s had teleconferences with parents and educators to keep meeting those deadlines. Speech, occupational and physical therapists are all doing some kind of e-learning with students as well.
“People are happy we’re still providing special education services as best we can,” he said. “We need to make sure the kids are still getting their accommodations.”
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