Experience report from two working mothers with a total of nine children (aged between 9 and 20)

While our generation finds it rather difficult and laborious to venture into new communication channels and collaboration tools, requiring a lot of patience and often even more technical support to get to grips with them, digital natives have long since settled into the “home schooling flow.” They accept the situation as it is, playfully embrace new ways of working and tools, and make the best of the situation, regardless of the school’s digital infrastructure.

Excerpt from the diary of a 9th grade high school student

8:00 a.m. Get up

“Isn’t it great that Mom isn’t standing in my room at 6:00 a.m. waking me up for breakfast… First, let’s check what’s been happening on Insta.

8:30 Schooling

Anyone at a house party yet, guys? Oh man, another thousand assignments, Müller is really crazy, analyze 3 poems… huh? Calculate tube volume? Okay, one thing at a time. Where do we start? Okay. Math. Yeah, I’ve got that too… no, I don’t understand that, wait, I’ll quickly ask my sister. She says it’s right. Wait, now Tim is calling on WhatsApp…

10:30 Break

Guys, I’m going for a jog now…

11:30 Schooling

Hey guys, what’s up? I’m back. What are you guys up to? Not German… okay, I’m in. I’ll put myself on mute… need to concentrate.

1:30 p.m. Lunch break

First, some decent food… Dad’s in his office again. One telco after another. Mom’s upstairs in a Zoom workshop, my three sisters are all sitting together downstairs at the dining table behind their computers. Only my big brother has it good. He doesn’t start college until April… but what is he doing? An online math course… luckily, dinner is ready. Back to my room. What did you guys have? What’s next?

4:00 p.m. Done!

Okay. Everything’s done for today. Have you uploaded your stuff yet?

4:30 p.m. Friends

Now the house party is really getting started. Which game should we play?

6:30 p.m. Family

Boom boom boom… oh no, now the girls upstairs are doing exercise in front of the TV again. And I thought there would be something for dinner soon…

Sometimes it’s annoying that Mom and Dad and my siblings are at home all day… but somehow it’s also cool.

8:00 p.m. Dinner

Now we’re all sitting together eating and discussing the news. It’s all really crazy…

9:00 p.m. Chilling

Guys, another round of gaming?

With their relaxed and uncomplicated attitude, digital natives show us how easy it can be. Of course, they don’t have to worry about data protection or service regulations, and they certainly don’t panic when they learn less material than they normally would. Even our two high school graduates are taking the postponed exam dates in stride, using YouTube videos and various online learning programs to brush up on their math skills instead of the offline intensive math course that was planned for the Easter break.

Of course, the regulations to contain the coronavirus are bringing about a fundamental change for all of us—not just a mindset shift, but also a radical change in our daily routines, our habits, and our private and professional lives, because a large part of society is currently being asked to suddenly and without preparation to work digitally and virtually from home.

This enormous change also applies to most companies, with employees working from home (even if there is no “office” there), and managers facing the particular challenge of keeping their teams running, maintaining their motivation and productivity, and ensuring good communication, which otherwise happens so naturally in the coffee kitchen.

The same applies to schools – the educational concept has been designed for face-to-face teaching for centuries – educators now have to completely rethink their approach and invest a lot of time and brainpower in providing their students with an age-appropriate and structured work plan with the appropriate materials. And students are now suddenly expected to absorb new material completely independently, without further explanation, and immediately apply it in a verifiable manner, checking their results themselves and exploring new topics autodidactically.

That is one side of the coin, primarily a mindset change. On the other side, it is necessary to create and set up the technical infrastructure at a rapid pace, taking data protection into account and equipping all participants with mobile work devices (laptops). Those who already have this are at a clear advantage. This is how digital transformation works in a fast-track process…what we have been putting off for 20 years is now being done in a rush, and it’s working!

Both schools and companies are currently being tested on their digital fitness – the spectrum is broad, some are learning for the first time how to set up a video conference, what online collaboration tools are available, and have major hurdles to overcome in adapting their working methods to the current virtual circumstances. Others are delighted with the existing cloud infrastructure and are taking the opportunity to increasingly exploit the potential of digital platforms and tools. Added to this is a large dose of creativity that is flourishing in the crisis: Teachers who have previously shied away from digital technologies are creating explanatory videos for their students, craft ideas are being happily shared, and questions are being answered in WhatsApp group chats.

Many organizations are also currently experiencing huge progress in terms of flexibility, with employees demonstrating high productivity in their home offices and agile workshops via video conferencing leading to amazing results. In most cases, it is down to the personal attitude and open-mindedness of those involved and does not necessarily correlate with age.

Nevertheless, students simply find it easier and show us how it’s done and how we can maintain this status for longer without burning out. Who knows whether we will permanently retain one or two changes (e.g., two hours of video conferencing versus a full day of air travel)?

Here are our takeaways from what we have learned from our children:

What we can learn from our children & home schooling:

1. Enjoy the benefits

• Sleep in longer, no annoying commute to school/the office
• Organize your day yourself
• Take breaks according to your own needs (sports, fresh air)
• Dress comfortably and casually

2. Be open to new things and help from others

• Just try out new tools/formats
• Use different channels, tools, and devices, even in parallel if necessary
• Get support online or offline if you have questions
• Work in microteams, e.g., via Slack, WhatsApp, MS Teams

3. Stay relaxed!

• Take things easy, be grateful for what works
• Don’t be available all day, consciously switch off sometimes
• Turn duty into a “virtual party”

Dr. Carolin Matouschek, Stefanie Peters

Many thanks to Carolina and Antonio Peters for your input and photos!