By Dr. Tom Snyder
Some people in the homeschooling movement in the United States are in an uproar over a new situation comedy about a homeschool family, airing sometime this summer on the WB TV network.
The show is called The O’Keefes. The WB will air eight episodes this summer.
In the show's pilot, Judge Reinhold and Kirsten Nelson play Harry and Ellie O'Keefe, two parents who have homeschooled their three children, teenagers Danny and Lauren and younger brother Mark. The teenagers, however, are growing increasingly curious about the world that other teenagers their age experience. They think the answer to their lack of knowledge lies in their father's worst nightmare — public school.
Both Mr. Reinhold and the show's creator, Mark O'Keefe, understand the concerns of the homeschooling community, but they promise homeschoolers that they have little or nothing to fear.
“It's extremely sympathetic to homeschoolers,” Reinhold says. “The kids are portrayed as deeply principled, as two well-adjusted, highly ethical teenagers.
“As the children go to public school,” he adds, “the audience sees modern day culture through their eyes. It's a satire on the sad state of modern popular culture, the pettiness, materialism, viciousness… It really sends up popular culture. It shows it for what it is, which is really shallow.”
Reinhold says he welcomed doing the show because it gave him an opportunity to do positive, family-friendly programming.
“It's a show I'm really proud of,” says Reinhold, who added that he's turned down more movie parts because of a malicious Christian portrayal than for any other reason. “We think it's really funny and really grounded in good things.”
O'Keefe, the creator of the show, and his two brothers were partially homeschooled by his own parents, who both have Ph.D.s. O'Keefe and his brothers were only allowed to watch election coverage and an occasional program on TV
“We definitely profited by homeschooling,” he says. “I personally learned a lot of stuff at home.”
O'Keefe recognizes that the homeschooling community is understandably nervous about a mainstream show about homeschooling, but says they shouldn't be worried.
“The homeschooled kids are portrayed in a positive manner. Every episode shows a family that works well together, really loves each other and has profited by homeschooling. The homeschooled children are shown to be academically head and shoulders above the public school children, better prepared and more mature. They have a positive effect on the kids at school.”
O'Keefe is a strong believer in parents controlling their children's education.
“I always found the public school system to be severely lacking. Parents should have an active role in shaping their children's education. It's the most loving thing to do. Who's more motivated in providing a good education than parents?”
Dr. Tom Snyder is editor of MOVIEGUIDE® Magazine.
(This article courtesy of MOVIEGUIDE®.)
