Third Quarter Homeschool Blues
It would hit me hard every February. I’d wake up feeling tired, unmotivated, uninspired, and questioning if we were doing enough. I’d think to myself, what could possibly be wrong with me, to be feeling so down, when nothing terrible had occurred? It took me about two years in and several attempts at changing our school calendar to realize that the “third-quarter blues,” as I have dubbed them, was a really REAL thing.
For us, it didn’t matter if we did a nine-month calendar and took the entire summer off. Or if we were following a year-round schedule and taking breaks as we needed them. Or if we were Sabbath schooling with six weeks on and one week off. It didn’t matter if our year was going amazing up until that point or if it had been a challenging one. Without fail, year after year, the months after the fun and beauty of the Fall season and the rush and joy of Christmas were some of the hardest for me personally and as a homeschooler. Once those joyous seasons had passed, once the excitement of a new homeschool year and new pencils and notebooks wore off, it would sometimes feel as if all that was left was cold weather, gray skies, and an unmotivated momma.
I don’t know about you, but I personally do not enjoy the feeling of being uninspired in our schooling. I want to have passion and joy for each day I spend with my babies, educating them under my roof. Because that's my heart. I am joyful and so so so very grateful to do this work. So why wasn’t my heart reflecting that? The guilt of not feeling that way was something I wrestled with so hard. I wanted to be joyful and grateful, but some years, I just couldn’t fake it until I made it.
It wasn’t until I got the courage to share how much of a struggle those months were with others that I realized something miraculous. I was NOT alone. After talking it over with so many other homeschooling moms who I have the privilege of knowing through my YouTube channel, I saw that this wasn’t just a ME problem. It was an across-the-board problem.
Before the renewed energy of Spring hit, these months following the holidays were some of the hardest for a lot of us. So if that's you, YOU’RE not alone; you can stop the guilt that is trying to take over right now. There is nothing wrong. We, as homeschooling moms, sometimes hold ourselves to these unrealistic ideals of what we should be. But, once I allowed myself just to feel and be, I started to see that there were things that helped me through those long, cold, dreary days. And there was no guilt in changing it up for a week or two or six.
While I still struggle with those months, I am encouraged by the insight that this struggle is so very common; I come to January and February READY. My hope and prayer are that you, too, will be ready for the lull that may or may not come.
“It wasn’t until I got the courage to share how much of a struggle those months were with others that I realized something miraculous. I was NOT alone. ”
These TEN things are game-changers for me and my heart during a tough season. Not necessarily just the third quarter, either. And In no particular order.
#1
Get outside when you can. And if you can’t, seek the sunshine from the window.
#2
Keep exercise routines in place; you need those happy endorphins.
#3
Meet people places, do not become isolated. Plan fun things you have joy anticipating and looking forward to.
#4
Be gentle with yourself. Do not force a full day of school if your heart just isn’t in it. That's not the learning experience you want, or your children want.
#5
Make time for activities and things that bring you joy in your homeschool days.
#6
Allow for rest; the busyness and sometimes difficult family situations that the holidays can evoke and bring about can be draining and exhausting. Allow yourself to process that.
#7
Stick to just the basics; nothing is wrong with a “season of less.” There is always the fourth quarter to pick back up history or science.
#8
Talk to your friends, don’t suffer alone.
#9
Remember that emotions are fickle and fleeting and that they will change, don’t make drastic decisions now.
#10
Seek the father; He is the one who restores our weary souls; if we come to Him and allow Him to give us rest and minister to our hearts, He will supply us with all we need to do the work He has for us.
Not everyone struggles, but many do. The things I mentioned above have helped me so much over the years. My prayer is that your heart would be encouraged if you’re in this space. You’re not awful. Nothing is wrong with you. You shouldn’t throw in the towel.
Spring is coming, the sun will shine again, and you may find some joy coming back into these rough third quarter days once you take that pressure off what you think you should be and just allow yourself to be. We are human. Our energy levels rise and fall, and what a gift it is to be able to show our children what perseverance and rest look like simultaneously sometimes.
Love,
Ashlee
