Teaching an experiential creativity-oriented business class has been a real challenge at a distance.
I am so encouraged by how resourceful our Schulich students have been when given limited parameters to work with (whatever was in their house or apartment). Food robots, using Lego for modelling, creating optic Ai prototypes all communicating their ideas.

https://kellyparke.screenlight.tv/shares/Ve1EW7UPvCawaP5KkhKpY4yRlYVuHim4?_=1607106921475

Realizing that computer gaming can be an important safe, social activity, but taking the credit of being a cool mom for increasing the play time limits anyway.

BAKING.. baking bread, baking brownies, baking cookies, baking squares.. Feeling proud that my pandemic pantry was ready before the stores were sold out of flour and yeast.

Working from home alone and lonely, I discovered BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, a seven-member South Korean boy band. The septet—composed of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook - are so inspiring, delivering hope and honest, heartfelt messages to their fans: ARMY, as they are called. Their "Class of 2020 Commencement Speech" was so special and touching. I LUV their music and energic dance moves. Even if they sing in Korean, music is a universal language, and their message comes across loud and clear. In my darkest and most difficult moments they have helped me feel better and made me dance until I was happy again.

My son thinks it is hilarious that I am explaining to others on how to use zoom technology. The sharing of information and team work with fellow instructors have risen to new levels.

Regular exercise (Pilates & Yoga) and frequent walks outdoors have been instrumental to my physical and mental well-being during COVID. It's been a great way to detach and refocus- particularly when I've made some kind of Zoom blunder (like sharing too much information with the 'share screen' function during a meeting!).

Fortunately, I have great colleagues that I can call upon at any time for help (quite often with technology- the bane of my existence!), or just to talk through a work-related issue. They have been a tremendous source of strength throughout these months and their support has been greatly appreciated.

I've stayed in contact with highly supportive friends and family via Zoom, and reconnected with old friends around the world to share stories of how we are each dealing with this new reality in our respective countries. Knowing that others are experiencing many of same concerns, fears and anxieties has done a world of good for my own mental health.

When we all had to start working/learning remotely from home, our life became a little hectic: we were, continuous worries about the safety of our loved ones, trying to not lose sight of self-care and mental wellness, managing conflicting personal. Many funny things I had to do in front of the Zoom camera: fix Lego pieces, help a kid to change into a Disney princess dress, etc. I enjoyed having my 5-year-old twins around, they were the cutest work buddies, and one day I noticed the change in my kids' vocabulary and their tone. They love pretend-play, they take on various roles and it is amazing to watch them play. One day, I overheard a very (fake) polite conversation between my twins, who were using a very advanced for their age language: "When you struggle, ensure you ask for help, we are here to support you", "you can do it, for instance, you can reach out for assistance", "in order to assist better, we would like to understand the full story, for instance how this all started". It turned out they played pretend work, where one was a boss and another twin was a client. Apparently, their mommy talks like this on her video calls. Regardless of how busy and hectic the work from home can be, it is full of amazing little moments of joy. We just need to look for them harder.

What's helped me stay strong during the pandemic is the students. As difficult as it is for the instructor, it's likely 3x as difficult for the students who are paying a large sum of $$ and have high expectations of both learning and successful placement after school. My commitment to them has driven me to adapt, create engaging experiences and work develop the same relationships with the students that I would have in person.

I miss interacting with students in a real classroom. Maybe we should open classrooms for faculty Zoom classes and use their cardboard cut-outs the way some sports leagues do to create fake fans. Without the commutes it's a great time for cranking out publications. Waiting for enough snow to use my season pass at Hardwood Hills.

Christmas is filled with family fun, celebration of a lot of activities and the birth of Jesus Christ.
As a child growing up in a predominantly Catholic country, we look forward to celebrate the 9-days before Christmas. Christmas day, December 25th is a special day, all dressed up. After church we go to almost all relatives' and friends’ houses but specially our Godparents to receive their blessings and gifts. Christmas is truly for the kids.
Having happily worked at the Schulich School of Business for a Very Long Time, I do miss my Faculty of Administrative Studies (formerly)/Schulich School of Business Family, especially at this time of the year, where we all sit together to our annual holiday lunch, hosted by the Dean, to give thanks and celebrate our blessings and the School and personal/individual accomplishment.

To All My Family at Schulich, Wishing You All the Very Best, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
Stay well and Safe.

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).

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!!!

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!)

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.

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!