Tag: WorkFromHome

Homeschool PE

I’ve been fortunate to work for companies that are supportive of families. While I was working for Datastax, the company supported employees and their families in various ways including reimbursing up to $1000 for expenses related to physical and mental health. And as for my current employer, Circle’s mission is to make families’ lives better online and off.

When Covid-19 quarantining started and everyone was home, my wife and I quickly realized that it was too easy to fall into into a slothful pattern of lounging around in soft pants all day and never leaving the house. While there are merits to said lifestyle (particularly during inclement weather), it didn’t seem conducive to a health family life. So we instituted “Homeschool PE”.

Every weekday at 11:00am, the family would head outside and do something. Examples include:

The Datastax health expense reimbursement paid for a lot of Homeschool PE equipment and members of my team refrained from scheduling meetings during my family’s Homeschool PE block. When I started at Circle, the first time I met the [woman who would soon become] CEO was when she dropped off a computer at my house while I was playing table tennis in the driveway with my kids. She commented that at her house they played table tennis on the back patio. She responded favorably when I told her about Homeschool PE and I later learned even suggested it to other employees.

As online school started up in the fall and the weather became less amenable, regular Homeschool PE faded away, but during the spring and summer it was definitely a good thing for my family. Sometimes it was hard to get everyone to get up and outside, but once we started playing it was generally a good time all around. I’m grateful for the fun experiences and happy memories from Homeschool PE and appreciate my employers who support me and my family.

Meeting Time

My home is typically not quiet. Lately, with everyone home, it means there’s been even more noise. The kids are supposed to practice their various instruments daily which include piano, saxophone, trombone, and clarinet (not to mention the “bonus” ukulele and drum playing). Boy#2 is on a smoothie kick when means the blender is frequently running. Doors slam as kids run out to play in the yard and then come back in yelling about minor injuries. Conversations (calm and animated) abound.

A year or two ago I purchased an “On Air” sign online. The cord exited from the side so I modified it so instead the cord sticks straight out the back. It was intended to be hung by a chain (included), so I added some slots to be able to screw it directly to the wall. I then removed the plug and pushed the cord through a hole I drilled in the wall. The cord was rewired to an extension cord that plugs in to a simple “smart” plug. From there it was simple to hook it into our Alexa home ecosystem.

Now, when I have a meeting and need the house to be quieter-than-normal, I just say “Alexa, turn on broadcasting” (saying “turn on on air” sounded awkward to me) and the sign illuminates. But beyond that, my family is good enough to recognize the glowing red above my door and refrain from high audio behaviors.