The president of the National Education Association has been widely mocked for a “totally unhinged” speech that resembled a hilarious scene from The Office.
Becky Pringle gave an impassioned monologue Thursday in Philadelphia about the future of education, calling for widespread changes to make the system more equitable.
But viewers were distracted by his extravagant gestures and emphasis.
Pringle pounded his fists on the podium and waved them in the air as he repeatedly shouted that the NEA needs to win “all the things” to help “every student.”
Clips of the speech went viral, with many comparing it to a scene from the hit sitcom The Office, where Dwight Schrute shows up at a paper salesmen’s convention and gives a crazy speech based on old speeches by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Speaking Thursday in Philadelphia, Pringle gave an impassioned monologue that many compared to a speech given by Dwight Schrute on The Office.
Pringle addressed 7,000 people at theNEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in Philadelphia.
He called for widespread change in education to create a “racially and socially just and equitable system.”
“We worked hard to get rid of a tyrannical, deceitful and corrupt White House, but the reality is that the seeds that were sown during that horrible season continue to germinate,” he said.
She excited the crowd, waving her hands in the air and repeating key phrases.
“It is we who help shape the heart of this nation’s hopes and dreams. It is we who hold fast to the belief in the plausibility of the possible,” he said.
“We are the heirs of all those who did this work before us. We must continue to carry on. NEA delegates, we can do this work. We must do it.”
His speech grew more intense and energetic as he went on: “Our students depend on us to earn all things. All things! All things! All things!”
On X, viewers cut clips of her speech along with clips of Dwight delivering his on the show.
School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis shared the clips online and called her speech “out of control.” For Fox Digital.
She excited the crowd, waving her hands in the air and repeating key phrases.
His speech became more intense and energetic as he went on: “Our students depend on us to win all things. All things! All things! All things!”
He said: “Becky Pringle did the same thing as Dwight Schrute. She’s out of control and desperate to maintain control over the minds of other people’s children.”
Some joked that Pringle must have hired Schrute as his “speech coach.”
In his speech on The Office, Jim tricks him into reciting a collection of Mussolini quotes, lightly edited to talk about newspaper sales.
Pounding his fists on the podium, Schrute tells the crowd: “Only blood moves the wheels of history! It’s been a lifelong struggle. A never-ending struggle. I tell you, and you’ll understand, it’s a privilege to fight!”
“We are warriors… Rise up and be worthy of this historic hour! No revolution is worth anything unless it can defend itself… We must never surrender, because it is together, together, that we will prevail.”