Morning in the flat begins with a sluggish rise. Harriet, still halfasleep, hears faint voices from the kitchen: her mother quietly sets the kettle, her father rummages for his keys. Outside the window the light is weakblue twilight clings longer than usual, and only by eight oclock does the frost melt from the sill. In the hallway a pair of boots sit in a damp puddle; yesterdays snow melted straight onto the floor.
Harriet swings her legs over the side of the bed and sits motionless for a long moment. Her notebook lies open at the headboard, the maths problems shes struggled with for two weeks staring back at her. She knows today is another test; the teacher will be strict, and Grandmother Margaret will question every formula again in the evening.
Her mother peeks into the room.
Harriet, its time to get up. Breakfast is getting cold.
The girl lingers, pulling on her robe slowly. A flicker of worry passes over her mothers faceHarriet has been complaining of headaches and fatigue after school lately, but the habit of hurrying still wins.
The kitchen smells of porridge and fresh bread. Grandmother Margaret is already at the table.
Looking pale again? You should be in bed earlier and put the phone down! School is tougher now: miss a day and youll never catch up!
Her mother places a plate before Harriet and smooths her shoulder.
Her father emerges from the bathroom with a glass of water.
Did you pack everything? Dont forget the textbooks
Harriet nods absently. The bag feels heavier than itself; thoughts tumble between the homework and the dictation due later.
Later, when father and daughter walk to school together, mother lingers by the window. Her hand leaves a faint print on the glass as she watches Harriet disappear into a courtyard full of children in almost identical puffer jacketseveryone hurries, barely speaking.
That day Harriet returns home exhausted earlier than expected: the class was released after the English language competition.
Grandmother greets her with a question.
How was the day? What did they set?
Harriet shrugs.
Lots I dont get the new topic at all
Grandmother frowns.
You must try harder! Without good grades you wont get anywhere now!
From the next room her mother hears the conversation; Harriets voice is low and muffled, as if someone turned down the volume inside her.
In the evening the parents sit together at the kitchen table; apples in a vase give off a sharp scent.
Im getting more worried about her Look, she barely laughs at home any more, Sarah says quietly.
James shakes his head.
Maybe its just a phase?
But he notices Harriet has become withdrawn even with him. Books sit untouched for weeks, and the games she loved no longer bring a smile.
The weekend only heightens the tension. Grandmother keeps urging her to rehearse multiplication tables ahead of time, citing examples from other families.
Look at Charlottes granddaughtershes top of her class! She wins every contest!
Harriet listens halfheartedly, sometimes feeling it would be easier just to agree to everything so she could have an hour or two without tasks and checks.
Sarah tries again to talk to James later.
Ive been reading about home schooling Maybe we should try?
He thinks seriously.
What if it gets worse? How does it even work?
She shows him a few parent reviews: many describe similar struggles that eased within a month or two after switching to home learning; they enjoy setting their own pace, and the home atmosphere improves.
In the following days the parents research home schooling: required paperwork, final assessments, where to find a suitable online school. Sarah calls acquaintances, reads testimonials; James scans timetables and platforms. The more they learn, the clearer it becomes that Harriets current school load is simply too heavy. She often falls asleep over her textbooks, misses dinner, and wakes with headaches and dread of the next test.
One evening, as dusk falls early and mittens dry on the radiator, the family conversation turns sharp at the table. Grandmother is adamant.
I dont see how learning at home works! The child will get lazy, have no friends, and wont get into anything later!
Sarah replies calmly but firmly.
Harriets health matters more to us. We see how hard it is for her. Online schools exist, teachers grade the work, and were always there to support her.
James adds.
We dont want to wait for things to get worse. Lets at least give it a try for a while.
Grandmother stays silent for a long moment, gripping her spoon, fearing Harriet will lose interest and shut herself away. When she sees Harriets eyes light up at the suggestion of home learning, something inside her shifts.
In early March the parents submit a request to the local school to switch to home education. The paperwork takes less than a week: just passports and birth certificates, as the website states. Harriet stays at home and connects to online lessons on a laptop in the living room.
The first days feel odd; Harriet hesitates at the desk, but by weeks end she answers teachers questions confidently, hands in assignments on time, and even helps Sarah with new topics. At lunch she talks about a project on the environment, jokes with James about maths puzzles, and Grandmother watches from the doorway, noticing Harriet looking more like herself again.
Evening drifts slowly. Outside, the light, fluffy March snow has almost melted from the lawns, and the few passersby hurry to their errands. The flat holds a new quietnot the tense silence of tough school days, but a soft, comforting hush. Harriet sits at the laptop, a literature task on screen, a neatly written notebook beside it. She explains a new concept to her mother, her voice lively, eyes sparkling.
Grandmother steps closer, pretending to pause at the table. She peeks at Harriets screen.
Can you show me your assignments? she asks after a pause.
Harriet turns the screen toward her.
Here we have to pick a character from the story and imagine what happens next
Grandmother watches intently. Curiosity and a hint of bewilderment flicker in her eyes. She remembers her own school daysno computers, no online lessonsyet now her granddaughter handles everything far better.
Dinner that night is shared by all at the big table. Sarah brings a salad with spring onions from the balcony garden; the season already feels warm. James talks about work news; Harriet adds comments about her environment projectshe needs to build a model cell from household items.
Grandmother listens silently at first, then asks.
How do you now take tests? Who marks them?
Sarah explains.
All the final tasks are uploaded to the platform; teachers grade them and give feedback instantly. We see the marks right away.
James adds.
We care about more than the scoreswhat matters is Harriets calmness and renewed joy in learning.
The next day Grandmother offers to help Harriet with a new maths problem. The girl gladly accepts; they bend over a workbook by the window, where a thin line of frost still clings from the morning chill. Grandmother fumbles a bit with the online lessons layoutbuttons replace pages, teacher comments appear on the sidebut when Harriet confidently walks her through the solution, Grandmother smiles approvingly.
Remarkable! You figured that out yourself?
Harriet nods proudly.
Gradually Grandmother sees the changes more clearly: Harriet no longer jumps at the sound of the front door, no longer avoids eye contact when school comes up. Sometimes Harriet brings a drawing or a craft for the new project, laughing at Jamess jokes without forcing a smile.
Now the three of them discuss lessons in the evenings or simply flip through old family photo albums. Grandmother even registers for a login to Harriets online school so she can watch whats happening.
By midApril the days lengthen; the sun lingers longer over the houses, and the balcony fills with the first shoots of tomato seedlings and salad greens. The flat feels lighter, air fresh with spring and the promise of something new.
One evening Grandmother lingers at the family table a bit longer than the others. She looks at Sarah across the wood.
I used to think a child learns nothing without a school, but now I see the real point is that the child feels good at home and wants to learn on her own
Sarah smiles gratefully; James gives a short nod.
Harriet looks up from her laptop.
Id love to start a big project! Maybe next summer we could visit a real laboratory?
James laughs.
Thats a plan! Well think it through together!
That night no one rushes off to their rooms; they talk about future trips and summer activities in the fresh evening air. The sun slips slowly beyond the livingroom window.
Harriet is the first to drift off to sleep, wishing everyone a good night in a calm voice, free of anxiety or fatigue.
Spring asserts itself confidently now; new changes lie ahead, and the whole family is ready to meet them together.
