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April 2, 2020 By Helen Brown Leave a Comment

Working From Home and Homeschooling

For the past several weeks we’ve been sharing our best advice to help you deal with the new normal of working from home – or more appropriately for most – trying to work while being at home. For many, this also means adding the job of teacher into the daily mix, so I’m so pleased this week to welcome my colleague (and one of several parents on the team) Angie Stapleton to the Intelligent Edge. In today’s article, Angie shares some great tips and advice for working and schooling at home. ~Helen


“So, we’re homeschooling now?”

This was the message that popped up in a group text of my mom friends a few weeks ago. In the span of a few days, most everyone on the text was making the transition of working in an office to working from home. On top of that, we were now making the transition of working full-time from home to also homeschooling children.

My guess is that some of you have recently found yourselves in a very similar group chat. Needless to say, the past few weeks have been an adjustment for us all.

Currently – four weeks out of the initial shock and into homeschooling – we’re beginning to find our rhythm. We’ve figured out a few things that have helped us to navigate the new normal.

Here are some things that have saved our house, and I hope will help your families too.

If you can, make your schedule work for you

Starting off, I’ll recognize that I’m in an incredible place of privilege because I have a job that is stable and can be done completed remotely – and for that, I am very grateful! Our company leadership is also generous in their acknowledgement that work/life balance matters. During this time, I am hoping that leadership everywhere will recognize this is a time when standard work hours may need to shift to allow for employee productivity.

For our family, I have found working longer hours but taking more breaks throughout the day allows me to get more work done and be available to my new “co-worker” for homeschooling questions (and hugs throughout the day). If your kids are older, maybe that looks like starting earlier and plowing through your day while your kids are completing virtual learning so you can end the day early. If you have littles, maybe that looks like working an hour or two after they go to sleep so you can really focus.

The important thing here is to be open and honest about what you need to create the most value for your company and your family in this season. Talk to your leadership, and this is important: go with a plan. Draft a schedule that works for you and your company and ensures that you’re meeting the deadlines that matter.

Give your new co-worker(s) a special work space

This suggestion came from my boss, Maureen. (Aren’t you ever so grateful for the veteran moms in your life?!)

Creating a special work space for your child helps them to feel valued, productive, and a part of the process. Making sure all the supplies they’ll need for the day are immediately available allows for more self-direction and less interruptions. Using only the “fun school supplies” helps kids to be excited about school and makes homeschool feel like a novel adventure. Basically, never underestimate the power of a fresh notebook and a new pack of multi-colored pens!

As I type this, my daughter is sharing half my desk. While it may seem counter-intuitive to have an inquisitive seven-year old next to you all day, having her space so near mine means I’m always there to answer a quick question.  On the flip side, she can also see when I’m really focused on something and she needs to wait before asking.

Plan and when plans change, be flexible

Taking time over the weekend to create lesson plans for the week has been key! It allows me to make sure we have all the materials my daughter will need throughout the week printed, organized, and available so I’m not rushing around to print a worksheet minutes before a conference call.

If your teacher/school allows for it, let your children have a say in what they are learning. Part of planning over the weekend means my daughter can help me choose what she wants to learn. A biography or cultural site for social studies? Paint or clay for art? I love seeing what captivates her imagination. And selfishly, I also know she will stay focused for far longer on her tasks throughout the week if she is studying things that really matter to her.

Though we have a basic framework, plans change. New meetings are scheduled. Requests come in with short deadlines. So throughout the week, adjust. The overall goal here is to pair your child’s activity (based on how much of you it requires) to whatever work you have planned at that time.

Similarly, if plans change for your kiddos, adjust.  In this time of physical distance, we’ll always shift to take a video call from a grandparent or a friend. We’re flexible if she needs more time to finish an art project or read “just one more chapter” before moving on to the next activity.

Schedules keep us organized, but flexibility keeps us sane.

Respect Your Bandwidth

A note on staying sane… There are a million wonderful free resources available right now. It’s amazing! And, it’s overwhelming. Look at the lists, ask your teachers, ask your mom friends, and then choose what’s right for your family and go with it. Please hear this: you don’t have to do it all.

Right now, I am feeling very lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to become acquainted with several ed tech apps through my work with HBG’s education reform clients. Because I’m already familiar with them and trust the quality of the platforms, we’re primarily using the same five to 10 websites for my daughter’s daily studies.  Also, that’s because that’s all the mental bandwidth I have to take on right now.

We’ll likely add new ones as we go, but for now, what we’re doing works. Everyone is happy – she’s learning and I’m able to focus on work throughout the day – and that’s what matters.

Incorporate the things that are important to you

One of the major benefits of homeschooling is that we get to include the subjects that excite us. For example, in addition to the core subjects taught at my daughter’s school, we’ve added in time for foreign language, coding, and projects intended to help cultivate a spirit of gratitude and self-confidence. We’ve tailored her social studies and science to create projects based on awesome female scientists. And, we definitely make sure there is ample time for art, music, and movement.

Since we are a family of faith, we are setting aside time in the morning for a Lenten devotional and to pray for specific groups of people affected by the pandemic. This helps our family to see the bigger picture and give thanks for how lucky we are – but also allows us time to talk through any fears/anxieties my daughter has and to brainstorm ways we can be “helpers” or sources of encouragement to our community.

So, what matters to you?  If you can find ways to incorporate your values into homeschool, it becomes a lot more than just lessons and certainly a lot more fun to manage.

Be Intentional About JOY

My first priority for this season is that my daughter remember this as a time filled with JOY. When so much of the world is filled with fear, anxiety, and a bit of panic, I want my daughter to be able to look back and know her home was a place of peace, joy, and lots and lots of laughter. That it was a place where she felt safe and loved.

Because we have unlimited together-time and I still have work to do, we had to set some boundaries. I intentionally built our schedule in 15/30/45 minute blocks of time. Arranging our schedule this way allows me to plan my work time accordingly. For example, I know I can check email in a 15 minute slot of time, make a call during a 30-minute slot, or really focus on a deliverable when I have 45 minute slots.

But, we were also intentional about scheduling specific times during the day for joy. For impromptu dance parties or finding a few pieces for the puzzle splashed across our dining room table. We created a “Social Distancing Bucket List” as well as a calendar of special nightly activities.

It can be hard, especially for littles and elementary age kids, to understand that you’re home but you aren’t necessarily available. With joy factored in, kids have something to look forward to when they are practicing a self-directed activity.

Lean into community (or at least lean within 6 ft. of community!)

During this time of physical distancing, social interaction is important. This is a great time to make sure the parents on your team feel supported. On our team, schedules are more fluid. Our Zoom chat has been filled with resources parents are using for homeschooling – in addition to our normal work-related banter. We expect to see children (and fur-babies!) on our team calls. My daughter has even become pen pals with a colleague’s daughter so they can pass the time together.

At the end of the day, challenges are always opportunities to strengthen relationships and to build trust on your team. This is no different. If handled well, we’ll come out a stronger team at the end.

Offer yourself (and your co-workers) some grace

This is hard. It’s ok to say that. It takes a lot of work and a lot of preparation, and you’re going to get it wrong some days. Shoot, I get something wrong pretty much every day.

During this season, I’m learning to ask myself two questions each evening:

  • Did my clients get what they needed from me to do their jobs better and raise more money for their cause?
  • Did my daughter feel loved and maybe learn something today?

If I can answer “yes” to both, then it was a good day. If I can’t, then I know what needs more of my attention tomorrow.

Our Work/Homeschool Schedule and Available Resources

For practicality, I’m sharing our homeschooling schedule which is geared towards elementary aged children, though a lot of the resources have activities for multiple age groups. As mentioned above, I really encourage you to find what works for your family and unique circumstances – but sometimes it just helps to know what others are doing too.

This schedule works for us because it provides enough self-directed time to allow for eight hours of work, which if we’re honest is (hopefully!) around 7 quality work hours after all the “Lois! Mom! Mom! Mommy! Mommy! Mama!” coming your way.

Here, I’m including the resources that we’re primarily using. For additional options, check with your local school district (ours has a list of recommended resources) and Amazing Educational Resources, which  has compiled a list of hundreds of online learning companies and organizations currently offering free resources or services. For younger kids, check out this Google Doc for additional ideas.

 

Time Subject Favorite Resources
8:30-8:45 Set Daily Intentions Family devotional, meditation or mindfulness practice
8:45-9:30 Math IXL and/or Khan Academy
9:30-10:00 Reading Check out your local library’s online offerings!
10:00-10:15 Family Time – Child’s Choice
10:15-11:00 Movement Cosmic Kids Yoga or Koo Koo Kanga Roo
11:00-11:45 Creative Time Crafts, cards, clay, painting, sewing, Legos, etc.
11:45-12:30 Lunch & Family Time
12:30-1:00 Afternoon Reset Gratitude Jar, Big Life Journal (lots of free printables!)
1:00-1:45 Social Studies BrainPop/BrainPop Jr. (click here for free access) or Museum Virtual Tours
1:45-2:30 Science Scholastic, BrainPop/BrainPop Jr., or Zoo/Aquarium Live Cams
2:30-2:45 Foreign Language Duolingo or IXL (Spanish only)
2:45-3:00 Family Time – Parent’s Choice
3:00-3:30 Music Practice a musical instrument
3:30-4:30 Movement Go outside and play!
4:30-5:00 Coding Code.org
5:00-6:00 Educational TV Our favorites: Storybots, Magic School Bus, Wild Kratts, Disney Earth, Any National Geographic, MythBusters, NOVA

*Note:  Blue font indicates time spent with family and not working.

So, now I’d love to hear from you! For those of you homeschooling or taking care of littles while also trying to work, what has been most helpful for you? Do you have any resources you can share with our community? We’d love to hear them!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Career development, Non-profit trends Tagged With: wfh, working from home

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David’s career in prospect research began in 2009, as a graduate research assistant at the Shippensburg University Foundation. In 2011, He became a development researcher for the University of Virginia. In 2015, David became assistant director of prospect research at the University of Baltimore, serving for 3 years. Recently, he was the director of development for Trees Forever. David Joined the Helen Brown Group as a research assistant in January 2020. He earned a B.A. in Theater at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Applied History at Shippensburg University. David is a member of APRA and APRA Great Plains.

Kenny has worked in development since 1999 and has been involved in prospect research since 2002.

Prior to joining The Helen Brown Group, he was the director of donor and prospect research at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Kenny is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Tara first began her career in development in 2002 supporting the Major Gifts department at Simmons College, and ultimately went on to serve as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. Since that time, she has also worked as a Senior Research Analyst at MIT, as Associate Director of Prospect Management and Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and as Director of Development Research at Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP).

Tara originally joined the Helen Brown Group team in 2007 and served as a Research Associate and ShareTraining coordinator until 2008 – she rejoined the company as a Senior Researcher in 2013 and was promoted to her current role in 2018.

She has been an active volunteer with NEDRA for many years and served on the board of directors from 2010-2016. During her time on the NEDRA board, she served in many different roles, including terms as Vice President, Secretary, Chair of the Website and Technology Committee, Chair of the Volunteer Committee, and as Chair and Editor of NEDRA News. She is currently a member of the NEDRA Bootcamp faculty. In addition, Tara has also been involved as a volunteer with Apra, serving stints on the Membership Committee, Chapters Committee, and Bylaws Task Force.

Angie began her career in development in 1999 at Virginia Tech in Corporate and Foundation Relations and later in prospect research at the University of Connecticut Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, her experience includes grants management at the University of South Carolina, program evaluation for South Carolina Research Authority and human resources analysis for Nissan North America.

She returned to development in 2007 and worked in various prospect research positions at Vanderbilt University, including Associate Director. She was named Director for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s research office in 2015, and joined The Helen Brown Group in 2016.

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Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

In March 2017, Kristina joined the Helen Brown Group as a Research Associate. Before joining HBG, she was the Research Manager at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and an Associate Manager of Prospect Research at City Harvest, a food rescue organization. Kristina started her non-profit career as a legal assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004.  She is a member of Apra and Apra Greater New York. She was Apra Greater New York’s Director of Programming from June 2014 to May 2016. Kristina graduated from The University of Chicago and the Bard Graduate Center.

Grace began her career in development in 2001 as Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a Harvard Medical School-affiliated academic medical center.

In 2003, she became a prospect researcher for the BWH principal and major gifts team and spent the next 11 years in various research positions with BWH, culminating as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. She has been affiliated with The Helen Brown Group since January 2014.

Heather began her career in 2002 as a prospect research coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and then moved to Carroll College in 2004.

In 2005, Heather began working on her own as a freelancer and eventually started her own consulting firm, Willis Research Services, in 2007. She joined The Helen Brown Group in 2012.

Heather is a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement and the Montana Nonprofit Association.

Jennifer began her career in development at her alma mater, Wheaton College, where she was an administrative assistant for the major gifts department.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in March 2008. She earned a master’s degree in library science from the Southern Connecticut State University in May 2009. Jennifer is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Rick has been a member of the Helen Brown Group team since 2005. Prior to joining HBG, Rick was director of research at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. Rick has worked in development since 1996, both in prospect research and major gifts fund raising. His experience includes the University of Vermont, Phillips Exeter Academy and St. Paul’s School.

Rick is past president of NEDRA and is a member of and frequent volunteer for APRA.

Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

Mandi has worked in prospect research and management since 2006. She began her development career as a research analyst in development research at City of Hope, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Los Angeles. From there, she became the manager of prospect development at Huntington Memorial Hospital, a community hospital in Pasadena, CA. Most recently, she was the associate director of prospect research and management at Occidental College, a private liberal arts college in LA.

Mandi has a BA degree in print journalism from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree of library and information science from UCLA.

She joined the Helen Brown Group in May 2019.

Kelly began her career in development in 2008 as an administrative assistant in Major Gifts at Wheaton College.

In 2010, she became a research analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the Division of Development & Jimmy Fund as part of the prospect identification team. Kelly joined The Helen Brown Group in 2013.

She is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Jayme began her career in development in 2008 at the Rutgers University Foundation, where she spent the next seven years, first in prospect management and then prospect research. She spent several years at Monmouth University as their senior prospect research analyst, working with the fundraising staff, university president, and top leadership. She has worked as both a volunteer and consultant for non-profits in the areas of research and writing.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Drew University and a master of communication and information sciences from Rutgers University. She is a member of APRA.

Jayme joined The Helen Brown Group in April 2019.

Julie has managed finances for The Helen Brown Group since its founding.

In her spare time, she is an editor for the PBS series Masterpiece at WGBH. Julie was nominated twice for an Emmy award for her work on the PBS show Zoom.

Heather began her career in development in 2001 as a prospect researcher for National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She was with NWF for more than thirteen years, including nearly five years as director of research and analytics. Heather is a former secretary of the board of directors of APRA-Metro DC.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2014.

David began his career in development at The Gunnery school in northwest Connecticut in 2011, where he worked in database management and prospect research. Subsequently, he joined the College of Saint Rose as a development research analyst before leading Albany Medical Center Foundation’s prospect research efforts as Associate Director of Prospect Research. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Siena College and is a member of APRA and CASE.

Michele began her career in development in 2012 when she joined the UC Berkeley corporate and foundation relations team as a development analyst. She spent a year and a half at Cal before returning to UC Davis as a prospect analyst. She was with the prospect management and relations team at UC Davis for almost three years prior to joining the research and relationship management team at George Washington University as a Senior Prospect Analyst in 2016.

Michele received her BA in creative writing from Florida State University and her MA in higher education leadership from CSU Sacramento. She currently resides in Northern Virginia, is a member of Apra International, and serves as the social media chair for Apra Metro DC. Michele joined The Helen Brown Group in July 2018.

Angie has worked in development since 2002, partnering with a wide range of nonprofit institutions. She began her professional career at Vanderbilt University in research and prospect development.

She has also worked with a number of community nonprofits in front-line fundraising, grant-writing, and event management. Angie holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a BS in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University. She resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a member of AFP Nashville and APRA MidSouth, where she has been active on the executive team.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2015.

Maureen has been a part of the non-profit world since 1991. She started out in annual giving at Harvard Law School and continued her career as director of annual/special gifts at UC Santa Cruz.

In 1999 she made the switch from front-line fundraising to serve as director of prospect research/management at Bentley University and in 2001 began her role as administrator for the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester. She became part of the HBG team in September of 2011.

Helen has been a development professional since 1987. Her previous experience includes The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Albert Einstein Institution, Boston College, the Harvard School of Public Health and Northeastern University.

Currently she works with a variety of clients to establish, benchmark and re-align research departments; identify major gift prospects; and train researchers and other fundraisers through on-site and web-based training services.Helen is a former member of the board of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and is past president of the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA). In 2006 she received the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.

Helen is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester and is a member of the board of directors of Factary Ltd. (Bristol, UK). She is a member of NEDRA, APRA, the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP), Women In Development, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Researchers in Fundraising (UK).

Helen is a frequent speaker and has led seminars for a number of professional associations, including Action Planning, AFP, APRA, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), NEDRA, RIF, the Planned Giving Council of Central Massachusetts, the Georgia Center on Nonprofits, the International Fundraising Congress and Resource Alliance.

Helen is also co-author (with Jen Filla) of the book, Prospect Research for Fundraisers (Wiley & Sons, 2013).

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