Why my children will be staying at home: Perth mum’s sweet new routine
A family that was one of Perth’s first to self-isolate, proactively going into lockdown in a team with another family more than five weeks ago, has shared the reasons for their decision to keep going as long as possible.
Danielle Loizou-Lake, her husband and two children self-isolated as a team with a neighbouring family according to a comprehensive plan, acting as one family since before the social isolation restrictions were put in place, and maintaining that isolation throughout the restriction period.
The 'Granny Flat COVID-19 School'.Credit:Danielle Loizou-Lake
Their aim was to take pressure off the system as the state was gripped by fears of health system overwhelm. But now those fears have eased, the family is considering permanently altering their way of life to maintain some of the unexpected benefits they have experienced.
Mrs Loizou-Lake’s children are aged five and seven and normally attend public school, but now have a new Monday-Friday timetable.
Each morning, the two families separately take a walk, then Mrs Loizou-Lake “goes” to work full-time in the main house.
At 9.30am, the Loizou-Lake children say goodbye to their mother, take their lunch boxes and head to “school” in the unfinished granny flat in their backyard.
The mother from the second family comes over with her five-year old and runs “school” from 9.30am-12.30pm while her own husband works.
The granny flat has two areas, one set up for work and one for play.
“The other mum is immensely patient and well suited to the task,” Mrs Loizou-Lake said.
“The school sent work packs which helped.”
Mrs Loizou-Lake said the children had thrived on the stable routine and close attention.
“One of my children flew under the radar at school quite a lot, she is a lovely child who doesn’t raise a teacher’s eyebrow so we didn’t know a lot of what was going on with her,” she said.
The children at play. Credit:Danielle Loizou-Lake.
“We didn’t know she didn’t like maths and that she was hiding her worksheets at school, avoiding the work and falling behind.
“Since doing schooling from home, we have identified that she has labelled herself as not good at maths, and the other mum has really tried to make it fun and go back to some of the foundations.
“She has realised she is not bad at maths and has developed some confidence. She is so confident and happy we are a bit reluctant to send them back.”
Mr Loizou-Lake, a tradesman who has early starts, finishes work at 1pm and comes home to take the children to the park or do activities with them such as building a reticulation pipe or a rocket.
“They just have fun with their Dad,” Mrs Loizou-Lake said.
“We are just trying to use every parent’s skills.”
Mrs Loizou-Lake said she was conscious of how fortunate they were.
“I couldn’t have done this as a solo parent,” she said.
“I don’t want to shame anyone who has struggled; the only way we have been able to do it is being well supported within these families and having the space.”
Having the granny flat meant she didn’t worry about mess, the children had permanency and a clear delineation between home and school. It would be different if everyone was trying to work at the dining table.
Ensuring each parent’s duties were sustainable was also important.
“If you are doing it with your partner they need clear expectations and a clear plan,” she said.
“Yes we have tweaked our plan but we have all had clear expectations, so we have been able to rely on each other and feel well supported.”
Mrs Loizou-Lake said the experience had “immensely deepened relationships” in her family.
“We know things about the kids we didn’t know before, about the way they learn and like to learn,” she said.
“We see patterns emerge and we feel able to respond better to their needs.
“We are really considering our educational approach long term based on this; whether where the kids are now is the best fit for them, especially with the child who flew under the radar.
“It provided an insight into our children we ordinarily wouldn’t have. I am really grateful for that.”
She said another consideration in her decision was the possibility that a second wave of COVID-19 cases might yet disrupt schools again, and she felt this way maintained consistency until the future was certain.