The Lockdown Log | Interview with Naomi

Last updated on 20 June 2020

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Welcome to The Lockdown Log!

In this new series, The Lockdown Log, I’m going to be interviewing some of my friends from New Zealand, to hear a little about what their experience was like during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) Lockdown that our country went through in April (and continues, in some degree until we’re told otherwise). For some of my friends, life has radically changed, for others, it’s only a little different. But whatever has happened in the last few months, whatever their situation has been or will continue to be, they have a story, and one that I believe is worth sharing, if not for now, then for the future.

In this instalment of The Lockdown Log, I chat to my friend Naomi who is a Primary School Teacher (year 1s) in Auckland.

Hey Naomi! Thanks for joining me today! You’re a primary school teacher here in Auckland, and teach year 1s; what does a normal week for you usually look like, outside of lockdown?

A usual week for me feels quite busy from where I sit now, so many weeks into lockdown and restrictions. I would be at work by 7:30am each day, talk non-stop to little people who are constantly asking questions of the world around them or just ‘why?’ When I leave work would be dependent on if I had meetings after school. Some days it would be 6pm and some days I could sneak away at 4pm. If I got home with enough time/energy I would go for a run or go to the gym. My favourite places to run are the Panmure and Ōrākei basins, and along Tāmaki Drive. I enjoy listening to podcasts as I run because I actually don’t like running and I have to trick myself into it!

I describe myself as an extroverted introvert, so any more than 3 social events felt like a busy week. Home groups, church events or meeting up for drinks with friends and dinners out would often ‘fill’ my week. I would also have to be in bed by 9:30pm most nights otherwise my life felt hard!

You’re right; it does sound like you’re usually quite busy! Although I can totally understand that, with my usual schedule and outings which pile up during the week. It’s a miracle if I get two nights a week at home.

All schools, both Primary and Secondary, were in complete lockdown with the rest of the country during level 4. Level 3 saw some students returning to (albeit a very different looking) school if they were kids of essential workers or their parents needed to head back to work. Going from a full-on classroom every weekday to suddenly teaching online, must have been a lot! How has it been for you? Were you able to create a space at home for teaching?

Teaching 5-year-olds from home has been huge learning done in a very short time frame! I don’t think I started out well as I really didn’t know what to grab from school on my last day. It was quite a rush to get what we thought we would need for level 4 lockdown.

I started out set up on the kitchen table and very quickly found that was not good for my ability to concentrate or take breaks. My head was all over the place! Once I set myself up an ‘office space’ in the spare room I felt better.

It took a while to learn how to work in an ‘office’ rather than in the classroom. When you are in the classroom the day’s priorities are in your face, asking you questions, sitting in front of you and generally making noise. Emails get seen when I have time and meetings are mainly done outside of teaching time. At home, I am setting up the day’s learning, posting it to the parents, videoing myself, checking and commenting on work sent to me, working out how to post things, answering emails and messages from parents that come through on different platforms, all while trying to remember to log into Zoom at the right time and organising the next day’s work. When I started, I found lots of ½ written emails that I had been distracted from or work that I had forgotten to post on time.

Teaching is one of those jobs that has changed so much during this time! What have you missed about being physically in the classroom?

I miss having little people in front of me. My laptop is not as funny or as cute and really is not that rewarding to interact with.

Haha! No, it’s not! I know that some teachers were going back into their schools during level 3 for those students who came back ‘early’. Were you one of those teachers?

Yes, so in level 3 I was going into work 2-3 times a week to support the children who are attending. This is definitely not school as we know it. The children are in areas that they need to work and play in. There is no sharing of resources and play equipment. As the teacher, I am supporting them to finish the work that their usual teacher has set, all while keeping a 1-metre distance. It is a challenge, but I think we have made it work in a safe way and I think the children are having fun.

I wonder what the children will look back on this time and remember, in the years to come.

Yes, it’ll be interesting to hear what they remember when they’re older.

Do you have any tips for working from home?

If at all possible, set up your working space in a separate room that you can leave to have a break. I found that I could keep answering emails, checking children’s work and writing feedback long into the evening because I have an issue where if I see an alert icon, I can’t leave it there; I have to deal with it until the alert is gone. When my laptop was on the kitchen table, I could not get away from it. Now it’s in the spare room so when I’m done for the day, I shut the lid and walk out. That has been very helpful! Also, every desk needs a plant!

I totally get that! I brought home my computer monitor from work and set it up on my desk in my bedroom, where I usually do all my blogging and writing from, but I found I just got distracted when I was trying to do work from the same place that I do recreational ‘work’. I moved my work life to the dining room table (which doesn’t sound ideal, but I found it works well for me), and that’s where I do my work during the day. In the evenings when I’m blogging or writing or recording podcasts, that all happens from the usual spot at my desk. It so helps to have the separate spaces for separate areas of life. Alas, I don’t have a desk plant; I tend to kill them.

What have you found hardest about Lockdown?

Not gonna lie, I really enjoyed lockdown to start with. I am not a morning person and working from home meant that I could roll out of bed at a very reasonable 7:30am as the commute from the kitchen to my laptop in the spare room has been rather free of traffic! I also really enjoyed having time to stop and relax as I have been really tired recently.

However, the shine did wear off and I have had some darker days. I think I have found the loss of freedom the hardest. I feel a bit embarrassed to admit it as I really have not done it hard at all compared to others, but there is something about being told you are not allowed to do something that does something to the brain.

It’s amazing how you (royal you) suddenly go from being blasé about something and then as soon as the opportunity to partake in an activity is suddenly not an option, you want to get out and do it. Being told you’re not allowed to do something suddenly makes you want to do it all the more. Even if it’s small things like going to the shop, or getting fish and chips by the beach. It’s easy to take these sorts of things for granted during ‘normal’ times.

Have there been things you’ve been really grateful for in lockdown?

I have so much to be grateful for, hence the embarrassment in my last answer! My husband and I have jobs that have continued right through lockdown. We have a house that we can afford to heat and we are eating well. I’ve had time to cook and have made more from scratch (when we managed to find some flour of course).

Flour has been scarce! You’re either lucky to get 1kg or you have to get a 10kg bag (or 20kg!). Other than getting into the kitchen more, are there things that you’ve actually enjoyed about being at home?

I’ve loved that my time has been flexible – I can exercise when I want, I can eat when I want, and I can pee when I want. I am not bound by the 9am – 3pm bell times. This is sadly something I will need to give up as we go back to work.

Yes, I don’t like your chances of keeping that up when school goes back for real!

You’ve given a lot of pointers about working from home already, but do you have any other tips for surviving lockdown and isolation in general?

If at all possible, get to a big open space and breathe. I have found our bike rides to Cornwall Park and Ellerslie Racecourse have been life-giving and calming.

We’ve really enjoyed getting out for walks, too. We don’t have a lot of wide-open spaces around us, but even walks in the native bush and down to the cemetery (which has beautiful walking paths and huge trees) near our house have been really nice!

And last, but certainly not least … did you do anything drastic to your hair?

Kinda… I had not managed to get a haircut before lockdown and I was in despite need. So I got my husband to do it.

Ha! Yes, we’ve heard George’s side of this story!

This is the biggest thing I have trusted him with in the almost 5 years we have been together! There were lots of “Ahh”’s and “Not too much!” and “okay stop now. STOP CUTTING!” but he actually did a good job. I won’t, however, be returning to this salon, however… his solution to for grey hairs was to offer to pull them out.

Well, at least he tried, right? Thank you, Naomi, for chatting with me! It sounds like work and school have been really different for you, as I suspected. Thank you so much for continuing to teach the kids of Aotearoa. You are amazing, and I know the kids and parents will be really grateful for the time you’ve spent on their lessons during this time (and all other times, too!).

Stay tuned for another edition of The Lockdown Log coming soon!

To learn more about New Zealand’s alert level system, check out the COVID-19 website.