Betsy DeVos, the Trump-appointed Secretary of Education, and a major Trump campaign donor, doesn’t know very much about education. This is not gossip, it is fact. She is known for her support of campaigns to create and support charter schools and private schools, rather than public schools. She is an ignorant person, with an agenda.
The death-by-gun tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has grabbed the attention of America and the rest of the world not just because of the horrifying tragedy, but because of the students who survived. These “kids” - and I use that term in quotes because, in many ways, they are more grown up than many of the adults in the room - have drawn a bold red line and declared ENOUGH! They are poised, articulate, knowledgable and a new, formidible force in the decades-old gun control debate.
What Betsy DeVoss does not want to know, and will certainly not acknowledge, is that these are public school kids. Stoneman Douglas High School is in a wealthier area than many American schools. This translates into more extracurricular activities and opportunities, such as drama, debate, journalism and public speaking. These kids were ready to be in front of cameras and journalists, were ready to go toe-to-toe with politicians (like Sen. Marco Rubio), were ready to lead a movement because of the education they have. The irony is not lost that students in public schools, where the Trump administration is reducing resources, have taken on the Trump administration and its sycophants in the gun control debate, a debate in which the Trumpsters and the GOP are beholden to the gun lobby.
The lesson here is simple: stop cutting funding for public schools and start putting resources into all public schools if we want knowledgable, articulate and poised adults in the future.
Slate had an excellent article on this topic.
Sorry Betsy, you’re a loser!
—-
No comments:
Post a Comment