Mrs. DeVos,

Money can buy you a lot of things. It can buy you a nice comfortable place in the world. It can buy you good schools, nice cars, fancy clothes, and it can buy you access to things you probably shouldn’t have access to.

Among these things I don’t think you should have, is a chance to be making educational decisions for all of America’s students. I, a student studying to be a teacher, am curious why you think you are qualified to do this job.

Like any college student, I have been told I do not have sufficient experience for a job. Given, that was a job at Home Depot, and that was when I had no prior work experience. But I think this is kind of the same situation. What are your qualifications? What is your prior experience? Do you have people you haven’t paid who can vouch for your experiences making you qualified for the job?

Just to be considered for the education program we have to spend countless hours working in classrooms. How many hours have you put in, watching, taking notes, getting hands on experience in a public school classroom?

I think an ideal candidate for the job would be a past teacher, or someone with a degree in a related field. Someone who understands special needs students’, kids who need extra help, and someone who will work to better the future for America’s students. Someone who has worked in the field, gotten to know their students, someone who understands how much work goes into planning, IEP’s, and making sure each child is understanding content.

America needs someone who understands the value of investing in education. Change can start when everyone understands that a good education can completely change the path someone’s life is going to take. It starts with someone in your position realizing what needs to be done. It does not start with turning schools into businesses.

Investing in students is investing in America’s future in a global economy. Without your students, you won’t have future politicians, bankers, teachers, business people, doctors, lawyers, mathematicians, astrophysicsts or any of the other professions that help our country make advances in all fields.

For some kids, school is the only place they feel like they are valued, or feel like they belong. Some kids understand the world through science, and if they never got the chance to be taught about earth systems, or geography, we could be missing all of that child’s potential. In some little brain, yet to start school, there is a cure to a disease we haven’t even encountered yet.

Just because the opportunity has presented itself to you does not mean you are fit for the job, just like I know I would not make a great brain surgeon with my current experience and education. By the standards with which you were selected, someone who owns a game of operation should be chose for the surgeon general position. But… that would never happen right? I sure hope not.

Someone who knows the difference between proficiency and growth needs to be chosen for this job. Someone who knows that it might not be an issue better left to the states (since that would be your job..). Lastly, we need someone who actually knows what the Individuals With Disabilities Act is. Those should be minimum requirements for the job. These are not hard things to find… ask any teacher who has been teaching for more than a year.

Children don’t have a voice to speak for themselves here, so adults need to. There is not a single way in which I see you are fit for the job.

I just hope you have the sense to help our country find someone who could make a positive difference in the position you are not fit for.

Please take a long hard think,

A teacher in training