As Michelle Obama said, "If you work hard, if you get a good education, anything is possible. That's what the American Dream is all about.
Hard work will get you far in life.
Ever since Secretary of Education Betsy Devos's confirmation, students, teachers and parents are outraged. Devos is a champion of charter schools, which are independently managed publicly funded schools. Students attend these schools by the choice of their parents. Devos has never attended public school. Most of the country attends public school.
According to National Center for Education Statistics, 50.4 million students attend public elementary schools. Fifteen million go to public high school and 5.2 million go to private school.
On Twitter the hashtag #proudofpublic was trending. People would list the public schools they attended to show that public education matters.
More outrage came from Devos' tweet on her first day of being Secretary of Education.
People commented, "Teachers pay for their school supplies with their own money," "The grizzly bears have the pencils," "The pencils are at the store."
Besides the tweets, DeVos' confirmation hearing made students and teachers and parents worried about the future of America's education system.
Her answers to senators' questions about gun control, college loans and the Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act sent red flags to americans.
Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut asked Betsy Devos, "Should guns have a place in public schools?"
DeVos answered that locales and states should decide. There is a school in Wyoming that probably has guns to protect them from potential grizzly bears.
Murphy's state was the site of the Newtown Shooting. Murphy advocated for gun control in filibusters and sit ins. Devos' statement worried Murphy.
Another alarming answer was Devos' lack of experience with college loans.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is an advocate for higher education, asked if Devos had ever taken out federal loans for herself and for her children.
She said she has never taken out any federal loans and Pell Grants for her children's education. They all went to private schools and she was able to afford her children's college tuition.
Tim Kaine asked DeVos, "Should all schools that receive taxpayer funding be required to meet the requirements of the individual with disabilities and education?"
DeVos answered, "I think that is a matter that's best left to the states."
Later in the confirmation, Senator Maggie Hassan wanted a clarification on Devos' previous statement about the Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act. Devos said she may have confused it.
Confused or not, It is federal law for schools to provide resources for students who have learning disabilities.
As a student with a learning disability, I worked hard to get into college and I couldn't have pursued a college education without my parents and teachers guiding me along the way.
Every child deserves quality education and Devos cannot confiscate our education.
