Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has opened her mouth about the Oklahoma teacher walkout. DeVos, who has never worked as an educator, tried to put herself above teachers when it comes to caring for students, but she once again showed how little she knows:
“I think about the kids,” DeVos said Thursday, according to the Dallas Morning News. She had been touring a middle school and meeting with leaders of an anti-violence initiative in Dallas. “I think we need to stay focused on what’s right for kids. And I hope that adults would keep adult disagreements and disputes in a separate place, and serve the students that are there to be served.”
Those “adult disagreements and disputes” are about whether Oklahoma’s kids should have textbooks from the 1980s or the 2010s. About whether the state will pay teachers enough to fill vacancies and keep teachers from burning out and leaving for states with higher pay and better conditions. Those teachers are thinking about the kids, and staying “focused on what’s right for kids.” That’s one reason public support is so high.
So nice try, Betsy DeVos. We see you trying to pit teachers against students, and it’s not working, because people in Oklahoma know what this fight is about. And as it enters its second week, the crowds are as big or bigger than ever.