Let’s Hear it FOR Betsy DeVos!
Full disclosure: Although I have never met or interviewed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, I am a huge fan. In fact, the closest I have been to her was at the Education Writers Association’s annual conference in Baltimore recently. Sitting maybe 75 feet from her, I was dazzled as I watched her hold off some tough questions from education reporters, a notoriously aggressive bunch. That stellar performance gave the lie to those who mock her intelligence.
In Baltimore she proved that she is smart. Sure, she made a lot of gaffes early in her tenure, but now–after just 27 or 28 months on the job–she doesn’t get flustered. She has learned to avoid answering direct questions; instead, she ignores whatever she is asked and pivots back to her talking point: “Students and parents need ‘freedom’ to choose.” Ask her anything, and she will–with a smile–talk about ‘freedom.’ She couldn’t do that if she weren’t a smart cookie.
Moreover, Secretary DeVos is a gutsy defender of minority positions. Here’s an example: A less courageous person would fold under pressure and take the popular position that public schools are vital to our future because they enroll about 90% of students. But, showing a backbone of steel, DeVos swims against the tide. She is not afraid to criticize public education. And she hasn’t just shown courage once or twice; no, she’s out there regularly–every day–taking on public education, essentially saying “Damn the consequences!”
I also admire her because she is a great friend of the American teacher, something her critics never acknowledge. In Baltimore, for example, she came out strongly in favor of paying teachers about $250,000 a year! She cleverly suggested pegging CONTINUE READING: Let’s Hear it FOR Betsy DeVos! | The Merrow Report