A lot of people were surprised when Betsy DeVos got appointed as the Education Secretary. DeVos herself admitted her astonishment when she was told of the possibility of leading the Department of Education.
In an interview with Axios, DeVos revealed that she had never thought about someday being with the Department of Education. She recalled that, a day after the election, a colleague sent her an email and asked if she ever thought about becoming Secretary of Education.
Betsy DeVos admitted that she was not able to send a response before talking to her husband, Dick. She replied after a day, saying that she had never thought about it but that she would consider it if the opportunity presented itself.
The Education Secretary also confessed that she got excited for the job after she found out that President Donald Trump's views on education and its policies were "very aligned" with hers. Apparently, both of them see that several students are not being served well by four-year college degrees. Instead, they aim to promote vocational training to equip students for work and reduce student debt.
DeVos claimed that the first measurement of success for the Department of Education would be the success in implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act. This program reduces the federal government's part in education but she added that it was still too early to state specific numerical goals.
She was confirmed as the Secretary of Education earlier this month after a 50-50 vote on the U.S. Senate prompted Vice-President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote, according to NBC News. She was the sixth Cabinet appointment of President Trump.
Betsy DeVos was recently slammed for criticizing teachers at Jefferson Academy, where she was barred by protesters from entering last Feb. 1. She said that the teachers were on "receive mode" and were just waiting to be told what to do.
The JFA teachers took to Twitter to slam DeVos for her comments. They proved the real meaning of "receive mode" when they get students at a second-grade level and help them move to an eighth-grade level.
