One;of;my;most;popular;work- shops;is;entitled,;“Beating;the Middle;School;Blahs.”;I;actu- ally;swiped;that;title;a;long
time;ago;from;a;4-H;program;that;was
called,;“Beating;the;Mid-Winter;Blahs.”
As;I;was;planning;this;article,;I;didn’t
want;to;blatantly;copy;it;again,;so;I;start-
ed;thinking;of;synonyms;and;the;word
“doldrums”;came;to;my;mind.;Looking
it;up;in;my;big;fat;Webster’s;Dictionary
(yes,;I;still;have;one;on;my;desk!);it;stat-
ed;that;“doldrums”;referred;to;ocean;re-
gions;near;the;equator;characterized;by
calm;or;light;winds.;The;secondary;defi-
nition;was;“a;period;of;inactivity,;listless-
ness,;or;depression.”
Yep.;That’s;me;after;Christmas,;during
the;long;two-month;period;I’ve;always
called,;“Jebruary”;(January;and;Febru-
ary).;It;doesn’t;have;to;be;characterized
by listlessness or depression, though!
Maybe,;this;year,;it;can;be;a;period;of
thoughtful regrouping and rejuvena-
tion,;instead!
Many;colleges;have;a;three-week;peri-
od;right;after;the;Christmas;break;they
call the “winterim” term. Rather than
just;plunging;right;back;into;the;nor-
mal;schedule,;they;take;a;few;weeks;to
allow;the;students;to;focus;on;a;single
topic,;typically;earning;three;credits;in
a;short;period;of;time.;I;think;a;lot;of
homeschooling;families;would;do;well
to;follow;a;similar;tactic.
There’s just something inherently
difficult in going right back to the
same;old,;same;old,;after;a;period;as
hectic and crammed with fun as the
holidays;tend;to;be;in;a;large;family.;It
might;be;helpful;to;make;a;conscious
decision;not;to;plunge;back;into;your
normal;schedule;and;to;take;some;time
to;get;the;kids;active;in;some;sort;of
“winterim;project”;while;Mom;takes;a
few;weeks;to;regroup;and;think;things
through.
This;is;a;perfect;time;for;you;to;stop
and assess how your school year has
been;going;so;far.;What;goals;have;been
met? What curriculum materials have
worked;out;well,;and;which;might;need
to be tossed out? What new interests
have;popped;up?;What;new;opportuni-
ties;have;materialized?;How;can;you;re-
arrange;your;schedule;to;make;room;for
these;new;activities?
The
Ordinary
Homeschooler
Mary Hood, Ph.D.
Navigating;the
Mid-Winter
Doldrums
Maybe,;this;year,;it;can
be;a;period;of;thoughtful
regrouping;and
rejuvenation,;instead!
