Public school teachers like those at Woodside High School have voiced their concerns, as Betsy Devos, a Republican businesswoman, philanthropist, and activist was nominated to become the United States Secretary of Education.
Despite being known for her outspoken support of school choice and school voucher programs, Devos faces a massive amount of criticism. The majority of Senate Democrats have opposed Devos and her ideas for the future of the American youth’s education. She was nominated by the senate in a 51-50 margin of voting, with only Vice president Mike Pence’s vote being the deciding factor. With all of this controversy revolving around her, Woodside High School teachers have reason to worry.
“She has very little knowledge of what actually goes on inside the public school because she has never attended public school in her life and neither have any of her children,” Spanish teacher, Mr. Prado said.
Because she has never experienced education in its pure, raw form, teachers question her qualifications.
“She views public education as an outsider, so it’s hard to reform or improve a system that you have never been part of and that you don’t know the intricacies from inside. It’s hard for me as a public school teacher to have any optimism,” Mr. Prado added.
Teachers of all disciplines continue to voice their concerns about what Ms. Devos has in store.
“I’m a little worried that she is there to undermine public education,” Mr. Lo, a biology teacher at Woodside said. “I have a feeling that she work to oppose implementing Common Core.”
Common Core, an initiative that was put into effect in 2009, has been a system of shared goals of knowledge and skills that students must have at the end of the year. Teachers throughout the United States have been working dutifully, preparing their students in order to meet these set standards year after year.
“We have been working hard over the last five years to implement Common Core in education. Within the various subject areas I hope that it stays, but with Ms. Devos being an agent of change it will soon become a distant memory,” Ms. Lang, an English teacher, claimed.
Within Common Core, certain teachers are questioning if their individual subjects will be covered and protected with Devos heading the board of education.
“I unfortunately am not optimistic that the changes that she has indicated will benefit world languages,” Prado stated.
Despite the uncertainty that the Unites States public has towards Devos, as a nation, people can only sit and wait to see what Devos has in store for them.
“Education is always moving and changing. There is a lot of fear with the teachers because we cannot predict the road ahead for our students,” Lang finished. “We are just waiting for the Department of Education to enact the new vision of Ms. Devos.”
