"Ultimately, the confirmation of Betsy DeVos did not surprise me nearly as much as I wish it had. For one, it's been widely publicized how much financial support she and her family have doled out to many of the senators voting in support of her, and one would have to be a fool to not think that helped brighten the light in which they saw her.
But still, that's not why I wasn't surprised. No, the reason I saw this coming was that, in our society, there is a pervasive belief that our jobs, as teachers, simply don't warrant the same level of respect as similarly specialized positions. We all went to school, so who couldn't teach if they really wanted to? It's a logical conclusion that, when looked at more closely, doesn't hold up to reason. Never mind the fact that I had to complete four years of undergraduate studies focusing on my content area, as well as the psychological and cognitive theories behind learning. Never mind I had to follow that up with a year of graduate school that saw me wake up at 5 a.m. to start interning at a local high school and crawl into bed at 8 p.m. after a course on differentiation dismissed for the night. Never mind the fact that I spend over at least 50 hours a year participating in professional development opportunities. Never mind the fact that, everyday from 8:10 to 2:55, I spend every waking moment I can find helping Sara improve her writing or Julian improve his reading or Helen improve her speaking.
Never mind all that, because anyone could do that. This is what didn't surprise me about the confirmation on Tuesday. Betsy Devos has no experience, no understanding of educational philosophy or the inner workings of a school. Her resume wouldn't even get her through the doors of my high school. She is wholly unqualified to lead those who are now under her direction. But what does that matter? She went to school. What else could she possible need to know? When, one day, a teacher actually leads the department of education, maybe then we'll all be able to answer that question."
