New Secretary of ED’s plan for schools is touchy(OP) - The Cauldron

Betsy DeVos, the new Secretary of Education under President Donald Trump was being blocked from entering a public school in Washington, D.C. by protesters Feb. 10. Members of a teacher union were protesting because of DeVos’ new plan to try and create more charter schools and transition public schools through the change so that all children can receive equal learning opportunities.

During this protest members were shouting shame because she’s never attended public school claiming she doesn’t know their importance. They were also angry at her because since the early ‘70s, the DeVos family has donated money to help support the Republican Party, its members, the Senate and modern conservative movements.

According to the Huffington Post, the DeVos family is one of the largest contributors to the Republican Party today and has claimed during her confirmation hearing that it was possible the family contributed over $200 million to the party over the years.

However, she’s not the only one who’s donated large sums of money to the 2016 campaign. The closest comparison is Penny Pritzker, an heiress to the Hyatt hotel fortune and President Barack Obama’s last commerce secretary. Pritzker was a bundler for Obama’s campaigns, and her family was one of the biggest donors to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party in 2016.

With that being said, many believe that DeVos bought her way into this position and doesn’t know enough about public school’s laws regarding students.

Being a student who has attended both private and public schools, I understand why many people are angry because they feel that getting rid of more public schools will take away more equal and free opportunities for all students.

Before attending public schools, I went to a private school during my first four years of education. From what I remember there were many set rules for students and faculty, based on what we wore, sometimes things we said or simply what we were allowed to do, but overall it wasn’t much different from public schools. We learned most of the same things, if not a bit more especially at a younger age. We also were given the same opportunities, but at a more structured rate.

The biggest issue I had with private school was the money. After each year, schooling became more and more expensive and it was becoming an issue for me to attend because of it. If money wasn’t the issue, I probably would have never been taken out of private school. Although it may have had some extreme and absurd rules of not wearing ponytails on your wrists, wearing nail polish or letting students express themselves freely — which I can’t push enough — it really structured children and created the respect you don’t see from many public school students today.

According to ABC News, DeVos’ plan for charter schools is to make them affordable for all students no matter their zip code or their parents’ jobs. She believes that all children deserve access to a quality education.

Normally, I would be against this because I feel that it would be unfair for families who cannot afford this type of schooling and it takes away students’ freedom to completely express themselves, but call me crazy.

In today’s society children are either condoning to almost life-threatening behavior that most parents can’t even control or are being neglected from getting the best type of education because they can’t afford it. The creation of more charter schools can get rid of this problem and put at least a dent in the amount of young violence. It can also lead a better and successful life for children on their way after a secondary education.

I’m not saying it’s going to make the world perfect and will create another Hands Across America with butterflies and rainbows. I’m not saying that Betsy DeVos is the answer either, but hey, I’m someone who’s willing to give her a chance so it’s worth a shot to see how her plan takes off.