Even before the current administration took office, one of my favorite comments or reactions I would get after telling people I’m an education major is “Why?” or just general confusion as to why I’m pursuing teaching. The wildest detail is that I got this the most when chatting with current teachers or school staff in my hometown. I’ve even had people (jokingly) suggest I switch to a different profession or one that will make me money.
For the most part, these comments are lighthearted, but I think the unsaid part relates to the state of education in the United States today. Their minds jump to the teacher shortages and large class sizes across the country. Nowadays, it’s more likely the future of the Department of Education itself.
I am obviously very worried about what will happen if the Department of Education (DOE) is dismantled, especially now that Trump has signed an executive order calling for exactly this. I worry about my current and future students, and whether or not I’ll be able to effectively support them. But most of all, I’m angry. I could spend my time ranting about how we shouldn’t be in this position in the first place, but that conversation has been had already and wouldn’t be productive. I am angry that getting to teach students and create an environment where they feel accepted and represented is something I could lose my job over. I am angry because, without the Department of Education, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) won’t be funded and thereby enforced; meaning that students receiving special education services and accommodations could lose access to their supports. It also means that Title I schools would lose their funding and wouldn’t be able to support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The fight for education access has already been a long and difficult road, and dismantling the Department of Education would set us back decades. The United States cannot afford to lose the DOE and the essential services it provides and protects.
I am already incredibly vocal about my beliefs and I’m not backing down by any means. Educators everywhere love their students fiercely and are going to fight to protect their educational rights. So while everything feels difficult and uncertain right now, I am going to keep fighting for what I know is right, and hope that one day I won’t have to worry about the future of the education system.