Eventful Day

This morning I went out to get some food shopping, having decided with Roarke that we need to get back to eating far more raw food. The boys used to eat loads and it is oh so easy to let it slip.

I got back in time to pack lunch, then we set off to another home educators house where some of the teens get together regularly.

There were only a few of us there, so it was nice and relaxing - just what I needed!

On the way back, Samuel took a call on my mobile from Roarke saying that ITV had been on the phone. In light of the case that hit the news this morning, of the tragic death of a young girl who had, according to reports, been deregistered from school 10 week previously, ITV were asking for someone from EO to go in and talk to camera about the legal process around deregistration.

Now, despite the short notice, we felt as a family it was worth putting ourselves out for, so that the HE community could actually be represented (hopefully) fairly in this case - which is bound to result in some parties deciding to use it to "come after" home educators.

So, at 3.30, I was agreeing to them sending a car to collect us "within half an hour". I got in 10 minutes later, rushed upstairs to wash my hair and change, only for the car to turn up! The driver waited patiently whilst we threw everything together and sorted out something for Mum to do the boys for dinner.

Then Roarke, Jonathan and myself were whisked up to the ITV studios. Jonathan was not impressed at being put back in the car, after already having had a 35 minute journey back from the Medway, and he was also hungry. So in the traffic I had to unstrap him and breastfeed for part of the way!

No special treatment - no makeup, no studio - they filmed me in the basement next to the canteen! The interviewer said it had to look "homely" so they nicked a pot plant from the neighbouring office section to stick behind me!

Now these things are always a risk, and I knew I'd be cut and edited and some or maybe none of what I said used. Therefore I tried to use complete sentances and phrases that would be hard to cut...

The questions I was asked (by an interviewer who was obviously not going to actually be used on air) were the legal process of deregistration, whether or not schools remove kids names from the register as they are meant to (mostly!), whether existing safeguards were sufficient (yes!), and whether I thought home education made it easy to "hide abuse" - NO!

In the end, the brief soundbite that they used, was HALF of my answer to that last question. Therefore it didn't appropriately convey what I was actually answering (the off camera question) and whilst the result could have been worse, I am disappointed.

I still think it was right to get involved - they would have made stuff up otherwise. The piece before me on the "facts" of home schooling was, for example, awful. See for yourself - click the link for the next 12 or so hours, click on the play button under the picture of the house on the left hand side next to the article, and you should get the video playing on the right hand side of your screen.

So, three hours frantic, nerve wracking, family juggling etc, just for that!

We were fortunate to make very good time back, which was just as well as Jonathan got upset again, and finally fell asleep on my arm (the child seat in the car didn't have side head supports so I sat all the way back with my arm stretched across him so that I could stop his head from falling forwards in his sleep!)

Roarke and I grabbed a take away (good excuse, lol) and then drew a deep breath and watched the finished piece.

Hmm... Maybe that white blouse was a bad idea - I think all my disturbed nights with baby showed!