How to phrase letter explaining about HE to a newspaper as am sick of neg un-educated opinions ruining my dc's friendships?

[singingmum]

Ok so basically my son was out with friends when they started talking about school,HE.They informed him that he couldn't really be doing the things he told them as only in school can anyone learn things and that he is never going to be succesful or anything.This started an argument and endeed with my son losing his temper and almost thumping one of the others(he had issues with his temper when younger and we got him through that and thought it was all ok .This is the first time in about 5 yrs that he's become any where near violent)He came back in tears sick of the attitude and hassle he has gone through because of what has been said.There have been incidents for both my dc's and we knew that some adults locally thought what we do is crazy but this is now out of hand.
When asked who has told them these things about HE the answers are that their parents or teachers have told them.
I am know considering writing to a local paper to try and help people who obv can't be that botered to learn about something before having a go to understand.
Wanted to know what kinds of things people would put as am to upset to think completely straight and want to make sure that I do this carefully
Any help/advice appreciated thanks

[choosyfloosy]

I don't HE but sometimes wish I did. Sympathy - I have seen some strange views even on this site about HE.

IMO your ds would be the ideal one to write this. He could first write a specific letter to the people who angered him, to help him emotionally perhaps (obv not to be sent), then he could write a positive letter/article to the local paper explaining 'a day/week in the life of an HE person'. If he wrote it as an article, perhaps with a schooled friend,explaining the differences and similarities in their lives, he/you could ring the local paper, ask if they'd be interested, and send it along?

Hope you work something out.

[singingmum]

Thats a good idea actually.He might go for that.There really are some rather odd views about.One person called us "the weirdo's in the corner who's children are prisoners"we laughed I just didn't think parents and teachers would pass these views on in such a manner that my son and daughter would suffer like this.

[AMumInScotland]

It might be that his friends parents have felt they had to be negative about HE to stop their children asking to do it too, if they see that your son is happy and "gets out of" doing the school stuff that they don't like.

Sympathy though, nothing quite like other children rubbishing your life to wind anyone up.

I think your local paper might well be happy to do a piece - they're usually looking for "human-interest" stories in the area.

[julienoshoes]

Hi singingmom
It is a problem-I have never had anything said directly to me but have found that other parents have said something to their children, who in turn have said something to mine.
Re-educating people about their firmly held beliefs can be tiresome.

I know of one older Home Ed young lady who has just written such a letter to her local newspaper-in response to an article about a 17fold increase in home education numbers her Home Education Can Be a Success letter has been published today.

[singingmum]

Thanks julie that article is one of many that love to make a story out of nothing(as in oh my there are now 2 more he dc's this week)However I love the comments made about how someone local hadn't had any of the things the LA had claimed they were sending or doing.
The funny thing for me is we have an excellent woman from the LEA come out and she is helpful and interested in what we do.She's so good that she even warned me when my health visitor reported me to the truancy people because my elder child was not in school.I'd given her the womans name to contact at the LEA so that her mind would be at rest but she still contacted the truancy people.I always thought it would be the LEA who would cause most probs not other parents and their offspring.

[Litchick]

As a writer I would urge you to focus on the current zeitgeist which is currently so anti SATs. If you opened with the fact that HEers don't do SATS you will have immediately won over a large number.
I would then focus entirely on the positive - if you get defensive it will end in a tit for tat battle.
Point out how many are actually doing it and the stats for getting into Uni etc.
Point out how many in your area do it and how often you meet up and how many other things HEers do to socialise.
Finally, point out that it's not for everyone and that you fully understand why some folk school and many kids love it. Just not you and your family. Make it plain you're not anti school.
Don't mean to be prescriptive and of course feel free to ignore.