“Put down the electronics it’s time for school.”

“I’m on a call can you please lower your voice?”

“I can’t take you outside – I have to work.”

“You need another snack already?!”

“Will you two stop fighting?”

“Do not shoot me with the NERF gun!”

“How did you get into my makeup?”

“Did you finish your assignment?”

Sound familiar? Welcome to the new “normal” of working from home while also making sure your children do their “job” when it comes to school assignments amidst COVID-19. At Coyne, we are used to multitasking for our various clients but having the kids home has meant there are times when you have to multitask not only client projects but also the kids’ schoolwork, all while planning around their lunch and nap times.

For us, it all started on March 13 when Coyne PR started working remotely. Later that day, schools across our state announced that they would move to remote learning as of March 16. This pretty much meant for so many of the moms and dads at Coyne (and across the state), we were immediately given a brand new title to add to our resumes – “homeschool teacher”! Clearly it doesn’t matter that we did not ask for this new title and certainly hadn’t gone to school for it!

Honestly, the new educational environment has been chaotic and humorous. Many parents like us have turned to friends, family members and, of course, social media to vent our frustrations. However, we are also learning a lot about what teachers do for a living and have a newfound respect for them. For background, all three of Chris’ siblings and his two sisters-in-law are teachers and since quarantine started, he has made a promise to never make fun of them ever again for getting two months off per year. While Randi does not have any immediate family that are teachers, she has many friends who are and now understands why they always complain about their jobs. 🙂 The two of us vow to NEVER officially enter the teaching profession!

The good news is that our PR skills have proven to be useful in navigating our newfound professions. From issues management (my daughter spilled paint on the rug while on a call) to creative thinking (new business brainstorm to an egg drop science project). One thing we can both agree on is that our daily routines have been key for our sanity! Thankfully for us, we also work at an agency that has made being the best place to work a priority – even if that means working from home!

Parental discretion advised, here is a glimpse into our daily routines.

At the Vancheri household, our school day starts at 9 a.m. for the kids (ages 8 and 10) as my wife takes first shift getting them situated with their assignments (and is constantly reminding the kids that school is in session). Then, around lunchtime, she heads to the office and I take over as her job is essential (pharma lab work). It is not easy for sure, as I am juggling my work while trying to make sure the afternoon assignments get completed. Unfortunately for my wife, this usually means me texting or calling her to ask, “where the heck is the Zoom dial-in information for Evan’s class?” or “I cannot find that email, help me!”

At the Rispoli house, we have not skipped a beat and have found that keeping a strict schedule (or run of show) is critical. My day still starts with a workout at 5:30 a.m., which gives me energy for the day, as well as an additional full hour before anyone else is awake. This gives me the opportunity to get some work done early in peace and quiet, as well as make breakfast for MYSELF before serving others. Our school day starts around 8:30 a.m. (age 6) and I typically take on most of the teaching duties. It is not that my husband does not want to help, but he works in compliance for Wells Fargo Advisors and is on calls all day. Plus, I do not have time to answer his questions about where to find things and what to do. It is easier and quicker to just do it myself. Like Chris stated, it’s not easy, but by making myself a schedule, blocking out times for schoolwork, my work, meetings, making meals, etc., I’ve been able to get myself and my daughter into such a groove that it’s going to feel weird to go back to our regular pre-pandemic lives.

We know that we’re not alone at Coyne as we share our stories via email or during our Microsoft Teams calls, so we figured why not ask some of them how they feel (anonymously, of course).

 

“I’m in a constant state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion trying to juggle the kids, schoolwork, my job and maintaining the home by myself, as my husband is out of the house most of the day for his job. Multitasking has been something that I’ve implemented on several occasions as I’m on with clients discussing work while feeding the kids.”

“I’m grateful for my support network of other parents who can sympathize with the current situation and am thankful for understanding colleagues who have stepped in at times to help me delegate some of the work.”

“As a mother of a teenage boy, my biggest contribution to his school day is making sure he is FULLY awake in time for school log-in…and then checking on him every half hour to make sure he doesn’t fall back asleep during the school day while also showcasing the flexibility of maintaining my work requirements.”

“My teenage daughter is academically self-sufficient, so the parenting starts after school when I need to break up the late-at-night Zoom parties—I do need to get up at 6am to do LOADS OF LAUNDRY and prepare the many, many meals that four people apparently need to eat EVERY SINGLE day to stay alive. As a PR pro, being a team player is key and making sure my work and my family are in a good place.”

 

Like our coworkers, we know times are tough. Now that NJ schools are closed for the rest of the school year, we plan to hunker down and make sure our kids finish the school year strong and are ready for next year. What follows is unknown – our guess is we’ll both likely add another title to our resumes as we predict summer camp may be the next to go. Just call us Camp Counselors Chris & Randi!

Although the COVID-19 struggle is real and we are all faced with challenges right now, one positive to take from all of this is that we get to spend more time at home with our families. We’re grateful that Coyne is a parent-friendly company that has gone above and beyond to support each of us during this time. From all levels of the agency, it’s been a team effort to make this work.

PR is managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Never has this been tested as much as it has during this time as we manage “PR” for clients while also managing “PR” in our personal lives—making sure we deliver good work on both ends!