Winter Homeschooling

We woke up this Saturday morning to the first snow of the season in the area. Our relatively mild winter thus far has been nice, but the snow today reminded me that the traditionally hardest weeks of homeschooling each year are still looming ahead (often known simply as February). Winter homeschooling is hard. Weather keeps us stuck inside. We're in the thick of the semester and spring break is still several weeks away. Winter germs mess up our plans.

But there's a different kind of winter homeschooling. These are the seasons where no matter the date on the calendar or temperature outside, school is hard. These seasons don't necessarily have anything to do with academics. It's usually because life has become especially hard. When we homeschool, our classrooms remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and daily life bleeds into learning whether we like it or not. 

This school year has had a lot of the second kind of winter. One of my babes has struggled with some health issues that have impacted other areas of life, including school of course. My plans for this one's year and even our collective school year had to change out of necessity. I knew it was right to let go of my plans, but I had to lay them down with some sadness. I felt so ready to do things differently this year! I had a plan for a better "morning time" where we would focus even more on truth, goodness, and beauty. It never even happened because the health problems sprang up right after the new school year began. I would have to spend a lot of emotional and mental energy on the one who needed so much extra love and coaching, and I had to streamline and reprioritize because some days we were in survival mode and could only eke out the absolutes. 

A few months ago I encouraged a new homeschool mom as she struggled: sometimes semesters will be academic semesters and you'll do and learn all the things. However, some semesters are going to be heart semesters where the best lessons won't come from books. These lessons aren't for transcripts, but for life. Virtue training. Character building. Refinement. Stretching. Sanctification. Being made more like Jesus. 

We're about two weeks into this new semester. While cold, snowy winter is still before us, I am hopeful that our sanctifying winter is slowly disappearing behind us. I have purposed to bring back "morning time" this semester and with great success! We've been talking about great hymns of faith, art, poetry, and faithful believers who have gone before us. We've had some lovely conversations. Truth, goodness, and beauty indeed. 

Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will prevail. Proverbs 19:21