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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

Please see attached: https://schulich.yorku.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Xmas-2020-covid.pdf