To homeschool, or not to homeschool, that is the question

I have always felt that homeschooling, if you had a good family economy, could be so idyllic.  Being able to teach my kids what I truly want them to learn, keeping them close by and knowing they are safe, working side by side ....I would picture my children sitting by my side cuddled up into me while I have an open book and we are sharing ideas and they are asking questions.  I answer them with an oh-so-perfect answer that just flows, and while I am offering this knowledge, I see them actually understanding what I am sharing...the Spirit is present and we are all edified.  Sigh....what a thought, or should I say fantasy.

Then reality hits and I remember that most of the time I am butting heads with the kids, putting out little fires here and there with who is stealing this or that from the other, or riding them to do simple tasks that I have been asking them for hours to accomplish.  What am I thinking that I could homeschool...it would be pure torture all day for me, and probably them too!  When they are in school  I love the break, I love the quiet, I love only having a few at home instead of all of them...really the list could go on and on and on.  I even have on my twenty year goal sheet the year when they will all be in school and I will finally be "free"  of them!!

 This is the thought process I have wrestled with over the years when I have thought about homeschooling my kids. However, with as much as I LOVE my time away from the kids a few things have happened this past year that is shaking my thoughts on education to the core.

First,  this past year Cole's grades have dropped significantly and most days he came home with a black or blue (the charter the kids attend have a daily color code that represents behavior, green= good all the way down to black= naughty).  I went into the school and discovered that Cole was seeking attention by acting out.  Up to last year he has always gotten mostly As and a few B's.  A question I keep asking myself,  if he is so concerned with seeking attention from his peers how is he going to acquire a life long love of learning?  It seems that the social aspect of school is getting in the way of him getting an education.

The second issue that has bubbled up for me is the national standards, that all but a few of the States have adopted...known as Common Core.  I'm not going to share all my thoughts on that right now(that would be a lengthy post indeed), it suits me to say that I DO NOT LIKE it one bit!

So with these two major factors going on simultaneously I have been driven to really study up on homeschooling and have to admit that I have been blown away with what I have found!  For me, after a lot of reading,  I feel the only way my children can get the best education is to homeschool them.  And I can not fail to mention how I have felt "lead" in my research. There is still much to be typed about this subject but need to end now.  So in conclusion I will be homeschooling Cole and Carson this year.  Morgan will go to Kindergarten half day while I try and figure out my groove with this new duty.  The plan is for her to stay home too once I know more of what I am doing.

Wish me luck... I will need it!!