Tea Party of the Radical Center?

Last year Thomas Friedman proposed a Tea Party of the radical center. A contradiction in terms? Yes. Helpful vision? Maybe so. I'm left thinking about this vision after TFA's 20th Anniversary Summit in DC.



Like NYCORE (NY Collective of Radical Educators) and Grassroots Education Movement (grassrootseducationmovement.blogspot.com), I was expecting the event to feel something like a scientology convention. When Joel Klein said, "Is this our Egypt moment?" and something like "Don't be afraid to stand up to the big interests," I felt a little seasick. Does he say things like that to Rupert or Bill and Melinda. Disgusting. Orwellian.

However, I chose to attend sessions throughout the day that were led mostly by TFA alums who have been in the classroom for 10 and 15 years. Are they the majority? No, but they're out there. And all reaffirmed my connection to the organization. They shared tips and stories about building strong community with students, parents and fellow teachers.

With this in mind, I felt much better at the closing session. An alumna who is a PhD candidate at Temple had good things to say. And I was convinced that the two alumni state senators who spoke are more faithful public servants than the average politician. At the end, a kid from KIPP's orchestra was singing under his breath as he was playing backup to John Legend. Pretty good stuff.