the february homeschooler

 February.  

Where homeschool dreams go to die. When the newness of winter snow has worn out its welcome. The armpit of the homeschool year. January--the sequel.

Can you tell I struggle with homeschooling in February?😏

I don't mean to treat February with such contempt. Every year I think I'm going to redeem February with some fabulous unit study. Or master sourdough bread. Or conquer my dislike of winter weather and take the kids to the woods. But every February, I feel the weight of it all. We're too far into the year to be able to redeem all the Fancy Plans I had back in September, and the weight of what remains makes me feel itchy and squirmy.  I just opened my third grader's language arts book and I swear it was mocking me: You're on page 165 of 377. Guess who's doing school into June this year?!

Today I had to take the bull by the horns. We're one week into the month and I can already feel the dangerous slide into apathy and irritation. Last week I did an abysmal job of planning and consequently, we had an abysmal week, completing maybe half of what we typically do. I planned out the entire week and then penciled in some goals for the month--benchmarks for where I hope to be when we begin March.  That helped. I also got my calendar in shape. Please tell me I'm not the only person who keeps some of her schedule on a paper planner and some on her phone. It's not a great system, I know. I'm working on it. Writing it down helps me get the information into my brain, but I don't want to lug my paper calendar/planner around with me. 

I also worked to get our school area tidied up and organized a bit better. I sifted through several piles of papers and tossed what I didn't need. Dug all the pencils out of the couch cushions. Caught up on my grading. Cleaned off my desk. Bought myself a new travel coffee cup (mainly so I can "travel" from my kitchen upstairs to my homeschool desk in the basement without spilling it all over the stairs.) Made sure the kids' work spaces were tidied up and less cluttered than before. It's amazing what a little bit of maintenance work around the school room can do to make learning seem more inviting.

Lastly, I made time to do this. Write. I think one of the reasons February feels so soul-crushing is because school feels like the only thing we get to do. But it's an excellent time to do other things--creative things. Writing. Embroidery. Reading. Researching All The Things. 

Also, I exaggerate. February isn't soul-crushing. Maybe soul-squeezing. Or soul-squishing. Possibly soul-pinching, but only on the really gloomy days.

All this to say--if you're a homeschooler and you find yourself staring down the longest shortest month, I feel you. I really do. Clean off your desk. Find something creative to pursue. And lean into it. Spring will come like it always does and we will appreciate it all the more because of February.