Earlier this week, Betsy DeVos was sworn in as the 11th United States Secretary of Education. It has been about 4-6 days since she was confirmed by the senate. This confirmation vote has been the most controversial vote in recent American history, as the senate was split on a 50-50 vote. As I was doing some research this week about how the system works I discovered that this tie-breaking has happened only a few times in the entire span of our nation's history. However, the recent confirmation vote was so controversial because of all of the media attention it received. It spread like wildfire in dry brush on a hot summer day. Vice president Mike Pence broke the tie within the senate (51-50), allowing the confirmation of DeVos to go through.
What implications will this have for the future of our education system?
With DeVos now the Secretary of Education for the Trump Administration, the country is in for a very long four years.
As a future educator who has attended public schools, is currently attending a private university, and is completing fieldwork hours at a charter school, I can confidently say that DeVos was a terrible choice for the position of Secretary of Education. Yes, the argument can be made that no one is every really prepared for taking on a job like this, but the evidence is quite clear. She is definitely NOT qualified for the position as Secretary of Education.
Prior to the confirmation of DeVos as Secretary of Education, senators were allowed to ask questions to further gain insight into where she personally stands on controversial topics in education, what she plans to do to improve the nation's school system, and how she plans to run the Department of Education. This allowed the senators-- and spectators like me-- to gain better insight as to whether or not DeVos can be trusted in this role. After hearing the evidence, I am not convinced that she knows what was best for the nation.
When I first heard that she was confirmed, I was horrified but not surprised at the decision. Most people in the nation knew that she was not qualified but yet our (Republican) senators decided not to listen to the people whom they are supposed to advocate for. The American people's voice was silenced and this will affect generations of students in the public school system across the nation.
As educators, we are taught that we have to help our students succeed. That means that we have to actually teach to all our students. They all have different needs and different styles of learning. Some have learning disabilities ranging from mild to severe. DeVos shows that she knows absolutely nothing about the Americans with Disabilities Act. I worry for students who do have disabilities because they will be neglected. They won't get the necessary help they need from schools.
Aside from that fact, she personally hasn't had the educational experience that most people have had, that experience being attending public schools. I have seen the different forms of the school system and they all have their pros and their cons, but to have someone who hasn't any direct experience with the public school system be in charge or the entire Department of Education is just absurd to me.
The last thing that has me surprised is how she wants to give the states more power in the sense that they can each individually make their laws on education. It's ridiculous! If the states have that amount of power, then they can decide what federal laws they would like to keep and which ones they would throw out. DeVos knows absolutely nothing about education. Her responses and her dodging of questions when asked by democratic senators is just appalling. How can we expect to improve our national education system when we have an idiot running our Department of Education? I am not excited to have her in power for many more reasons but as someone who is coming into the educational field, I will do my part to make sure I can continue to help all students.
