Dear Senators,
I’m not writing to you tonight to complain about anything you have done. I’m not writing to you tonight to complain about the new president. I’m not writing this letter to urge you to vote across party lines. I’m not writing to one party or group, and I’m not writing about politics. I am writing this letter about a topic that has been politicized, and never should have been. I am writing to you today about education, and the future of education in America.
Because I am choosing to leave politics out of this discussion, I hope you will choose to leave politics out of your vote on Betsy DeVos’s confirmation. Yes, we all know you affiliate yourself with a party. Either you place an “R” or a “D” next to your name, or you place an “I” there and caucus with the Republicans or the Democrats. I’m asking you to, for a split second sometime very soon, forget about that letter and do what is best for public education.
When I think about the potential for Ms. DeVos to become the United States Secretary of Education, I get a little bit confused. Yes, I’m only sixteen, but I have already held several leadership roles in my time on this planet. I can honestly say that I have not placed anyone in a position where they were doing a job they had no experience in without providing them at least enough training to get by. My “leadership” went so far as the cashiers at an amusement park. I was not making decisions about the future of thousands of American children.
None of my decisions ever reached or even approached that level of weight. My decisions never affected an entire business, much less an entire country. I aspire to, one day, reach a point where my decisions will carry more weight. I hope, that when I reach that point as a parent, locally elected official, business executive, or even a senator, like you, I will be able to make the best decision every time. The reality, though, is that I am flawed, and I will make mistakes. I realize that. One mistake I will not make, however, is hiring someone that I cannot completely trust. I value experience and willingness to grow and learn, but growth and learning are best for front-line or mid-level positions. Chief executives need experience. They often are poised to learn and grow, but they are, or should be, hired for their experience and knowledge of a field.
For the sake of our discussion, let’s pretend I am a human resources manager interviewing candidates for the position of United States Secretary of Education.
I would not hire Betsy DeVos.
A resume says a lot about a person. It shows, in one page, how qualified someone is for the job they want. It is a first impression, and it is crucial in the American job market. If I were in search of an education secretary, Ms. Devos’s candidacy would end with her resume. She has never worked a day in public education, and does not have a degree in education.
Without a degree, I wouldn’t even hire her as a teacher, and when politics are taken out of the scenario, I have a safe bet most human resources managers wouldn’t either.
Yes, she has been an education activist. That is a fair argument to make, but of course I have a counter argument. I’m going to ask you a series of questions.
1. Would you allow an animal rights activist to perform an operation on your pet?
2. Would you allow an advocate for lower taxes to file your taxes?
3. Would you allow an environmental activist to reroute a river in your hometown?
If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, your vote to confirm Betsy DeVos would be a political one. If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, I wish you the best, and you do not have to spend any more time reading my letter. You are set in your decision, and I respect that, but I know I would prefer to have a veterinarian operating on my dog, an accountant filing my taxes, and a team of scientists and engineers rerouting my river. To each their own, though.
The point I am trying to make is this: an educator should be leading the education department.
I hope you’ll consider my points when you are voting on Ms. DeVos. I’m sure she is a great lady, and I honestly hope she continues to advocate for what she believes is right, but she is not fit to lead the United States Department of Education. She believes in for-profit education, and the education department is supposed to support free, public education with the students as the focus rather than the money.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I am begging you to make a non-political decision this one time.
Sincerely,
Brock Rigsby, the cautiously optimistic teen
