View from a Teacher’s Desk

When I was young and fresh out of college, I was an outstanding educator.  I made sure that each of my students were learning, engaged and excited about learning, were interested enough to ask more questions and would be inquisitive enough to want to continue learning for the rest of their lives.  And I was successful with each and every student.

My success wasn’t a result of my youth or enthusiasm.  My success was not because I was one bit smarter than any other educator.  My success was totally a result of being left alone in my classroom to teach my students as I knew best.  In 1972, there was no ‘testing,’ ‘no child left behind,’ nor were there annual ‘evaluations.’  You taught to the very best of your ability not because it was your job; but because it was your passion.  And English and Journalism were not my passion; my students were my passion.  They were my kids and I wanted each one of them to learn.

Then it all started to go to Hell.  The road to Hell, as we all know is lined with good intentions.  And that road is a fairly long road.  Well, we all may have gotten a great deal closer in the last couple of weeks.  First President-Elect Donnie J. Trump came to Liberty University to offer the job of Secretary of Education to Jerry Falwell, Jr.   Falwell declined the offer.  A great sigh of relief could be heard throughout the country.

We may have wished Falwell had said yes as Trump turned his gaze to what may very well be the most anti-public school pick in the long history of the job, Elisabeth ‘Betsy’ DeVos, billionaire, Holland Christian High School graduate (whose stated mission is “equipping minds and nurturing hearts to transform the world for Jesus Christ.”…I don’t see anything about education in there, do you?) and the world’s greatest advocate for vouchers and draining funds from public eduction to go to for-profit charter schools.

This isn’t ‘draining the swamp.’ This is draining the vast rivers of free public eduction and replacing them with for-profit schools.

But let’s be fair.  What is the advantage of allowing DeVos to control our nation’s public schools?

Okay, there’s……………

Well, she could always………..

Oh, she did go to high school, but it was a private “Jesus” school, so, uhhhhh?

Okay, I got one!  If you were a low-income parent who didn’t want your child to go to public school with those other off-white children, then you could get a voucher from the United States government to send your child to a for-profit private academy.  So, the poor white students could have a choice.  Of course, anyone knows that the ‘voucher’ wouldn’t pay for the entire cost of admission to a for-profit private academy, but the parents would just have to save up a couple of thousand extra dollars to take their child out of free public schools and into a for-profit private academy.  And Betsy DeVos, who was born rich, married richer and is a billionaire, can tell you that saving a couple of thousand dollars shouldn’t be hard for ANY American family.  It’s all a matter of choices:  your child’s education vs food for two or three months.

DeVos is a real piece of work!  In her home state of Michigan, she blames the woes of places such as Detroit and the general state of affairs on high wages, high taxes on businesses and those pesky regulations that restrict businesses from polluting the countryside and air we breath.

She has given millions of dollars to influence Michigan politicians to lessen the oversight of for-profit private academies.  There is already no oversight at all for those students who are home-schooled.  DeVos wants a similar freedom from government restrictions on the for-profit business of private schools.

So, if she is confirmed by the Senate, what could happen to your free public education and more importantly, what could happen to the education of millions of American children?   First she could implement President-Elect Donnie Trump’s promise to divert $20 billion from the federal government to block grants.  She could easily take the $15 billion which is allocated for Title I.  (Title I is the federal program which provides equal access to primary and secondary education particularly for children in poverty.)  With the majority of the states in the hands of Republican governors and legislatures, they could feel emboldened by the Trump phenomenon to divert their billions of dollars from traditional free public schools to for-profit private academies.

The results:

1. Public schools are already strapped for cash.  Teacher salaries would be slashed.  Extra help for students through tutors, after school programs, books, supplies and materials would be discontinued.  Opportunities for parents to receive training to help their child in school would have to be halted.
2. The chances for the less fortunate students to succeed would be dramatically cut and their desire to continue their education would be lessened.  The dropout numbers would soar.
3. Teaching would be seen as a dead-end job.  More and more underpaid teachers would be forced to find more profitable ways to provide for their families.  (A shocking number of teachers must take on a second job just in order to provide for the necessities.)
4. Fewer young people would view teaching as a desirable occupation.  The number of new teachers would dramatically drop off.
5. With a weakened pool of new and returning teachers, public and for-profit schools would be forced to hire untrained and unqualified people to teach.
6. The result in a few short decades would be a rapid drop in the ability of the United States to compete in the world market.

Conclusion:

We cannot allow the Senate

to confirm Elisabeth ‘Betsy’ DeVos

as Secretary of Education!

What you need to do:

• Write a real letter on paper and send it to your Senator.  (Each Senator represent about 700,000 constituents.  In Washington, how much effort you take to contact your representative literally counts:  An email is just too easy and counts as less than 500 constituents.  Get 1,500 people to email and you get your Senator’s attention.  A phone call is closer to 1,000 but be sure and leave your contact information.  Why?  Because if you are a constituent you represent 1,000 others.  If you aren’t, you are placed in the circular file next to a used napkin.  Send a postcard and you are closer to 4,000.  But a paper letter is counted as representing around 10,000 other constituents.  So, get others to write as well      Here is a link to find your Senator and their address:  http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
• Either share this blog with other teachers or talk to other teachers and inform them of the grave danger that Donnie Trump has placed the education of our youth.
• Don’t just complain; do something, get involved in your local political party and make your voice heard.  Donate to the Democratic Party.  Here is the link:   https://my.democrats.org/page/contribute/help-democrats-fight-back

And that’s my View from this retired Teacher’s Desk.