Betsy DeVos’s First Day on the Job Got a Lot Worse After *This* Tweet
Betsy DeVos, AKA our new White House education secretary, has been a controversial pick from day one: Not only is she a strong advocate of public school alternatives (a main point of contention for many, considering her new role involves “ensuring equal access to education), but she isn’t particularly versed in public education, nor does she have administrative experience, as The Huffington Post points out.
Yet, despite backlash and protests that occurred as a result of her appointment (including these NYC students who walked out of their classes), Betsy officially had her first day on the job Wednesday.
Everything seemed to be going well enough — at least if Betsy’s tweet was to be believed. “Day 1 on the job is done, but we’re only getting started,” she said. It was the second half of her tweet, however, that had Twitter up in arms. Social media isn’t always a particularly forgiving place (see: celeb reactions to President Trump’s Nordstrom tweet), and Betsy felt its wrath firsthand when she dared to make light of the school supply situation, saying, “Now, where do I find the pencils?”
Day 1 on the job is done, but we’re only getting started. Now where do I find the pencils? :) pic.twitter.com/0vRKF1opE9
— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) February 9, 2017
Innocent enough, right? Not if you’re aware of the fact that many schools are actually in desperate need of supplies, and that teachers actually fund these things out of their own pockets. Almost immediately, folks were ripping into the education secretary, letting her know of her faux pas.
.@BetsyDeVos get a clue Betsy if you work in Ed you supply your own pencils & paper & sometimes a coat or shoes for one of your students.
— Haley B °ο° (@BachFancy) February 11, 2017
@BetsyDeVos If you had real experience in education, you would know that teachers find pencils at the store when they buy them out of pocket
— Chuck Scorpiniti (@ScorpLV) February 11, 2017
@BetsyDeVos I've had to buy paper and pencils for my students all year long! That is what we public school teachers have to do!
— Norma Jean Carr (@NormaJCarr) February 11, 2017
@BetsyDeVos Every Yr we provide the public school mandated list of pens, pencils, glue, etc. Averaging $53 Mom of 4 pic.twitter.com/W2eSLHySbf
— CaliToad (@cali_toad) February 11, 2017
.@BetsyDeVos Probably should've budgeted for pencils when you were purchasing your position.
— J. Evan (@jevanlee) February 9, 2017
@ResistanceBirdy @BetsyDeVos we can't afford pencils, we ran out of paper. I have students who are starving. But let's make a joke.
— Mata Hari (@calimatahari) February 11, 2017
@BetsyDeVos If you had ever stepped inside a public schools you'd know teachers buy pencils with their own money.
— Tamar (@arcakeologist) February 9, 2017
Yikes! Though Betsy hasn’t replied to to the outrage, she did post a subsequent Tweet thanking members of Howard University for a “great discussion.”
Thanks to @HUPrez17 & student leaders for the great discussion @HowardU today. Congrats on #HowardU150! pic.twitter.com/OfkP5w1nV9
— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) February 9, 2017
Looks like she may want to put a littttlleee more thought into what she makes light of next time — at least when it comes to Twitter!
Do you think the backlash for Betsy’s tweet is warranted or unfair? Tell us over @BritandCo.
(h/t Huffington Post, photos via Chip Somodevilla + Bill Clark/Getty)
