Please see attached: https://schulich.yorku.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Xmas-2020-covid.pdf
I have become obsessed with plants during the pandemic, having bought close to 20 plants since march. Taking care of my plants has become a very relaxing routine and great way to spend my time outside work.
No one really talks about the importance of having appropriate outfits for Zoom classes! An outfit that might look good in person can translate really poorly online. I once realized within seconds of starting a virtual class that a fashionably stripped shirt (au French fashion) can cause dizzy spells for my students. I had to excuse myself quickly and do a full outfit change that morning.
My must haves beside the computer for meetings: earrings, lipstick, eyeliner, and jacket for formal meetings! Being able to take a nap for lunch, when needed is a bonus! I miss seeing all the smiling faces & even grumpy ones when walking through the building & our department, treats in the workroom and Wendyville, chip n dip days and this month (December) really missing lots of food, laughter, hugs, and just eating together 🙁 Happy Holidays!
When I first started working from home I made an effort to "workout" at home during my lunch hour. It started with Richard Simmons, followed by Jane Fonda and ended with Jessica Smith. It was fun but too many interruptions with family at home. I now make the time to go for a walk and use the stairs instead of the elevator.
While working from home there have been moments of when "kids do the darndest things". One moment was when I heard banging coming from my kitchen. I arrive to find my daughter pounding Oreo cookies with a hammer. She needed crushed Oreos for a recipe she had to make a Oreo Mud Cake using the microwave.
When Reality Is Faster
When it became apparent that COVID-19 might hit Canada pretty hard and force universities to cancel in-class instruction in early March, I decided to run my next "Skills for Leadership" class on Monday, March 16, remotely via Zoom as a "safe-to-fail" experiment, a concept that we had covered in the course. On Wednesday, March 11, I announced this to the students and sent them a Zoom link for the class and some instructions for how the class would work. I also told them that the class would be recorded and made available to other instructors at Schulich if we had to move online. The students took the announcement very positively and understood that the online class could be a useful exercise from which we could all learn.
Then reality passed us by. On Friday, March 13, the university announced that all classes would be taught online starting on Monday. Our "safe-to-fail" experiment had become a new reality before we were able to experiment. I'm proud of the students who embraced the idea of running an experiment. I have no doubt that that mindset helped a great deal in making our four remaining classes - all taught online via Zoom - a great success.
In general, I'm amazed by how well Schulich students and colleagues have adapted to the remote learning environment. I've seen lots of innovation and collaborative spirit since March. #SchulichStrong
In my household, my husband, my daughter and I are all teaching online this term. Sometimes, our teaching schedule overlaps. Other times, one teaches while the other attends a zoom meeting. When this happened the first time, our respective class/meeting was interrupted many times because the internet service was not good enough to accommodate three zooming meetings at the same. In addition, the echo of one person's voice would interfere with others' talking. It was chaos. To avoid this problem, one of us had to go to office to teach.
Our remote meetings on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom and many other digital platforms have proved challenging at times. Our sense of humour, team unity, steadfastness, adaptability, compassion and empathy have pulled us through. Irrespective of your level of knowledge as an "IT Guru" or "IT Novice", we have mostly managed to succeed with this critical technology. When your broadband Internet connection fails, it can be quite a catastrophic moment. Thankfully there was always a plan B for me in the shape of a cell phone mobile hotspot!!! On most days being able to exercise or do other routine activities outside in a suitably socially distant way has also kept me grounded.
I left for a Maternity Leave in October 2019 and had no idea that the world was going to completely change over that year that I would be away from Schulich. It was so challenging to be a new mom and not have the usual support of family and friends due to isolation. I definitely learned a valuable life lesson about never taking the time that we get with loved ones for granted because you never know when that time will be taken away from you.
As the months went by I wondered what I would be returning to as I came back to work. I've come back to a new way of working where we rely on technology and lack face-to-face interaction and it's definitely a new world to adapt to. I am very much looking forward to things going back to normal and feeling the energy of being back on-campus once again.
I think being able to laugh and also see my empathetic and understanding colleagues has helped me through the pandemic!
While daycare was closed and my two year old insisted on "talking to Mommy's work friends" on Zoom, it was nice to see so many people indulge him so he had his fix before he could run off and independently play once again.
It was also amazing to see the Schulich community pull together and adapt and innovate so rapidly all in the support of our students. It has been a stressful time but also amazing to see so many people working together to make things happen. What an incredible community we have!
Collaborating with an amazing team that is fun, hard working, dedicated and resilient with heart, makes it easy to stay strong during challenging times like this. Thank you & Happy Holidays!
While working from home, I have set up a dedicated work space in our home office. I stay mindful of the time, making sure to take breaks when needed. If the weather is nice, I try to get outside and get some fresh air. Knowing that I have an amazing group of coworkers who are all going through something similar, let's me know that if I need help it's only an e-mail away.
I was sitting in on a class over Zoom in case the instructor needed my help. I would keep myself on mute and turn my video on occasionally if anyone had any questions; mostly it was off. The participants had been placed in break out rooms and I wanted a snack.. Good thing I keep lots of snacks close by so I reached over for a Passion Flakie. I opened the plastic wrapping and because the filling always comes out and I methodically started licking the inside of the plastic. I look up at my screen to see the instructor looking at me with a face that said, "You know I can see you, right??" Then we both broke into hysterical laughter. (Please don't read my name, I'm still mortified!)
I want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to Ashwin Joshi on this one. He's taken so many calls and texts from me on different initiatives, moments, ups-and-downs and met them all with enthusiasm, encouragement and excitement. I have missed those spontaneous non-meeting moments and fist bumps you get on campus. But he's been amazing at keeping that energy flowing in tiny informal interactions throughout the day. Thanks Ashwin!!!
The Pandemic has reminded me of what is important in my life- family, health, spirit and mind - and keeping them balanced. So ever day I do one thing to strength each element.
Instead of looking at the negative aspects of what the Pandemic has done, I am focusing on the positive-
Having my family around me, all the time for family walks, dinners and puzzles- we have become much closer.
More time to exercise and making it a habit now
More time to contact family an friends, virtually
Having more time to read and improve my courses
Looking forward to looking back and thinking fondly of this time
Wishing all of you a special and inspiring holiday season.
My best tip for staying strong while working from home is trying to "walk to work" every day. Obviously, I"m not walking to the Schullich building (not sure I even remember how to get there)! But I *try* to take a walk every morning before hunkering down with my laptop for another day of zooming. And the days when I actually hold myself to account are definitely the best ones!
The Pandemic has reminded me of what is important in my life- family, health, spirit and mind - and keeping them balanced. So ever day I do one thing to strength each element.
Instead of looking at the negative aspects of what the Pandemic has done, I am focusing on the positive-
Having my family around me, all the time for family walks, dinners and puzzles- we have become much closer.
More time to exercise and making it a habit now
More time to contact family an friends, virtually
Having more time to read and improve my courses
Looking forward to looking back and thinking fondly of this time
Wishing all of you a special and inspiring holiday season.
When your 17-month-old is cutting 8 teeth at once and has to stay home from daycare as teething symptoms can - spoiler alert - look like any one of the myriad of COVID symptoms in young children, you need to get creative in order to get any work done. In my case, this meant taking a meeting from my bathroom floor while my little one splashed around in a bubble bath, ultimately soaking me, my laptop (it still works, IT, no worries), and climbing naked out of the tub for a hug. Big shout out to all the Mums (and Dads) who have been balancing work and childcare during this crazy time!
This is an extraordinary time indeed. The irony is that while we are not meeting in person everyday, I find that the bonding and spirit among us at Schulich, among instructors, Student Services, ADA, CDC, students, alumni, IT and all staff, have never been stronger. We have all worked hard, being flexible and creative, to retain (and even improve) quality of the learning experience, to connect alumni with students and recent grads to help their job searches and to help students affected by Covid-19 academically and practically. Everyone I work with are so willing to go the extra mile to make things work. It is this spirit that makes us a great business school and helps us stay strong and smile despite the difficult times.
My cat, Katya, has become my primary office mate during the pandemic. Most of the time, she simply goes to sleep when I teach in the afternoons and my students don't know that she is in the office with me (though she has made it on screen a couple of times). However, when I was teaching in the "Leading Through the Pandemic" course one Saturday morning, she suddenly realized she was alone when my husband hopped in the shower, and proceeded to loudly demand to be let into my office while I was teaching. Eventually, Ashwin encouraged me to let her in (dashing my hopes that she could not be heard), and this is all captured on my video lecture!
We have a dog (his name should be Tigger, as that is his personality). One day in September, we were all working (my house has 6 of us working from home, my children are young adults) and we heard the side door open, the dog ran to the door, no one went – but we did not hear the door close. Then our dog started making grumbling sounds. My daughter went to the side door and this lady was standing in the doorway. She kept saying she was trying to get to the basement and that she was not afraid of dogs. My daughter was holding the dog and asking, “Why do you want to go to our basement?” It turns out she was taking a shift for another nurse, and she was at the wrong house – she needed to be next door.
I was hosting a large presentation for 150 or so students. I gave my family a stern "Do not bother Mommy, she's in an important meeting" talk right before. But of course, just as I'm saying introductions, I hear "Mooooooommmyyy" coming down the stairs. Despite my efforts to ignore my daughter, she walks right up behind me (on camera) and says "Mommy, do you want to do makeup?" Thankfully, Lindsay took over quickly while I convinced her to go back upstairs.
What has helped me stay strong is appreciating what I have in life, keeping busy at home, trying something new every week, and lots of coffee and wine
I was in a meeting with some faculty members (one of which is now our Dean) with my kids watching Paw Patrol nearby. Then my son appears out of nowhere behind me in my camera with blood gushing from his nose. Luckily my mic was already off, but I quickly turned off my camera to tend to him.
Was in a York-wide training session. Half way through, I could hear a sound that definitely was not coming from one of the presenters. The sound got louder so I could recognize that it was someone SNORING! I could tell the presenter was caught off guard as well because she paused and lost track of her thought. There was only one other person, who wasn't a co-presenter, with their mic on so you knew who it was (not a Schulich staff member).