Angry Public School Teacher Rants About Devos’ ‘Hurt Feelings’; Tells Her to Listen by Tracy Kennedy

"Huh. Get ready for a rant... As a public school teacher of 25 years, I gotta say, Welcome to the club, Betsy!

“Betsy DeVos Comes Out of Hiding to Complain Critics Are Hurting her Feelings”

https://shareblue.com/betsy-devos-comes-out-of-hiding-to-c…/

We’ve been attacked and vilified and told WE don’t know how to do our jobs by people like Betsy DeVos for decades. People who have absolutely no knowledge of what it takes to educate a diverse student population, students who live in poverty, students who don’t fall in the “average range” and are constantly telling us what to do and how to do it with some one size fits all method, usually a program whose interests are being looked after by the aforementioned know nothings...

We repeatedly ask and yes, even demand, the things we know we need to do our jobs properly- smaller class sizes, an arts curriculum, more counselors, comprehensive support for beginning teachers and worthwhile PD for all teachers, basic supplies, buildings that are safe from mold and filthy water, realistic curriculum with the ability to differentiate for both those who struggle and those who soar...

The list goes on, Betsy. We keep going back everyday because we know we are needed and that we make a difference every day. Teachers have long had abuse heaped on them by parents and community members for “not doing their jobs” but you know what, Betsy? That’s really not what most of us remember. We vent, we move on.

What we remember are the children we helped, the kids who had the “lightbulb moment” and the times we made a difference. Just yesterday, I saw a former student, she’d been one of my fifth graders, a child who really struggled in school and who, despite the love and support of her family, I worried might not graduate. I saw her yesterday for the first time since she left my class as an 11 year old who was pretty terrified of moving on to middle school. She proudly showed me her class ring, her screen saver on her phone of a photo of her in her cap and gown surrounded by her proud family. She had graduated the day before- 6 months early. So my advice, Betsy, to get you through the hurt feelings is to actually listen to the people you represent and do something to have that graduate tell you about their life since they saw you last and get that enormous and indescribable feeling when they tell you that you were their favorite teacher."
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About the Author: Tracy has been teaching in North Carolina public schools for 25 years, teaching either 4th or 5th for most of that time. She’s certified NCBT and currently at a Language Immersion magnet school where she works with 4th/5th graders in English, Social Studies, and Science.