So the election is over (or is at least supposed to be over…) and Biden has a lot of work to do to help put the country back together. Of course, being teachers, we’re rather focused on Mrs. DeVos’s replacement. In this episode, we discuss a few of the possible people who are on the radar to replace her. Sharyn shares a little history lesson on the Department of Education and Biden’s education platform.
Biden has pledged to choose a public education teacher to fill the Secretary of Education position. We discuss a few names of potential candidates. The top contenders are Randi Weingarten, a former high school history teacher and now president of one of the biggest labor unions, the AFL-CIO, and Lily Eskelsen Garcia (Who we have affectionately nicknamed L.E.G.). L.E.G, who actually started as the school lunch lady before becoming an elementary school teacher, is currently president of the National Education Association (NEA). Both are pro union, anti-voucher, and are big fans of public education. This is a big swing in the opposite direction as DeVos, a fan of vouchers, pushed to redirect federal monies to help fund charter and private schools.
Of course a lot can change between now and January 20th, so we’ll have to wait and see who ultimately gets the privilege of working to improve the education situation in the United States. There’s a great deal of work to be done on so many education fronts. From helping to rebuild unsafe school buildings to working to avoid a teacher shortage, the Secretary of Education will surely have a long, uphill road to walk. Let’s hope that whomever fills Mrs. DeVos’s shoes is not wearing some red-soled Louboutin heels but rather a good pair of sturdy work boots. Anything that will help to get a L.E.G. up, or a Weingarten or a Jahana Hayes or Denise Juneau or …
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