As most people are aware of now, Betsy DeVos has been elected as Secretary of Education. For most people either in or intending to enter the public education system, this was terrifying news. Public education figures on both sides of the political spectrum have been speaking out against her, saying that her lack of qualifications and intense public opposition is startling. As a future teacher and political activist, I must say that I agree.
As Secretary of Education, DeVos is in charge of creating budgets, enforcing federal education laws, creating federal assistance for schools, and stands at the head of the U.S. Department of Education. Basically, DeVos is in charge of the federal scope of education at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. She also happens to be 15th in line for the presidency. Most people who are chosen for that position are highly qualified. One of the scary things about Betsy DeVos is that she has no experience whatsoever. She has never worked in the public education system (as a teacher or administrator) and her only experience prior to becoming Secretary was doing educational philanthropy in Michigan. Even there, her work has been seen as unhelpful and detrimental to Michigan schools. She aims for privatization, pushes vouchers, advocates for “school choice,” and wants to use the public education system to “advance God’s kingdom.”
I don’t disapprove of Betsy DeVos merely because she’s a Republican and she’s incredibly wealthy; I oppose her because she holds the future of American education in her hands and she’s willing to give it away to the highest bidder. The people who voted her in received hundreds of thousands of dollars from her and her husband and she prioritizes private and for-profit schools because they’re considered more profitable. Her ideas on “school choice” are great. Parents deserve the opportunity to decide what type of school they’d like their children to be educated in. However, DeVos plans on using public school tax dollars to give towards “school choice,” which means that parents will be encouraged to send their children to charter schools and public schools will be slashed away at until there’s nothing left. I plan on teaching at a public school, and her plans could mean severe budget cuts, high unemployment, less job stability, and decreased educational value.
While DeVos’s plans to favor charter schools and enforce religion into education programs are scary, her most terrifying ideas involve special education programs. She was questioned by Senator Tim Kaine about her beliefs on IDEA, which is the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act. DeVos believes that the federal program would best be implemented by the states, which means that some states could be considerate of students with disabilities and others could neglect and mistreat them. As someone who is majoring in both elementary education and special education, the idea that the head of the Department of Education doesn’t care about students with special needs is beyond terrifying.
I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. The teachers that I’ve grown up with have been kind, supportive, passionate, and some of the best role models I’ve ever had. They inspired me to fight for what I believe in, and what I believe in is the public education system and the students in it. I think that the best gift anyone can give another person is the opportunity to learn, and teachers give that gift each and every day. The future of America lies with students, and Betsy DeVos is the greatest threat to that future that I’ve seen in a long time.
When I heard the news that Betsy DeVos had been elected, I was devastated. It was the first time in my life that I’ve ever considered giving up on my goal of being a teacher. I saw my own future at stake, as well as the futures of millions of American students, and I wanted to give up. However, I realized that that is exactly what DeVos wants. If teachers quit and pursue careers elsewhere, there won’t be people left to defend the public education system, only making it easier to shut down completely.
The great thing about teaching is realizing that you share one important thing in common with everyone else in the education realm: you care. Teachers care about curriculums, their students, their fellow teachers, the future. The most passionate and caring people are arguably teachers, and that should scare Betsy DeVos to no end. She doesn’t stand a chance at ruining the education system if people like me continue doing what they love: trying to make the world a better place for everyone.
For any future educators reading, please do not give up. Take the fire inside of you that made you so willing to teach in the first place and use it to change the world. Teach, care about, and inspire your students to stand up for what they believe in. One unqualified woman is not going to stop the next generation of educators from giving everything they’ve got. Teachers are going to keep teaching, inspiring, caring, and fighting for everyone, and no Secretary of Education is going to stop that.
*All views are not reflective of Her Campus or Her Campus Wisconsin