I've given up on my Elementary Education dream and now I'm moving on to Sociology. I've thought about this long and hard. I've stayed up many nights while worrying about the decisions I've made. I've been stressed out, exhausted, and emotionally wrecked over this topic. I'm done with my dream of being a teacher. It's not that I let myself down. But I realized that I am a teacher in other different aspects of life. I realized that I have a passion for teaching and for kids, but I also realized that I will have my own kids one day and that I will teach them and guide them with everything I know. Family is everything to me.

Let me be honest and make my failures public; I failed my teacher certification twice. I am not proud of this. It breaks my heart that a test has to define me, but I understand why it's important as a teacher. I think the state of Oklahoma needs to reevaluate their standards for both present and future teachers even after the teacher walkout that made national news. I think it's sad that many legislators of Oklahoma refused to talk to teachers and instead they hid out in their offices. Many teachers resigned after the walkout happened because nothing was happening. It's just really sad when future teachers have to think twice about their career decision. I was tired of having an advisor in the education department that overworked me and overplanned me for too many semesters. It was his way or no way. I had 5 classes last fall, a winter intersession class, 6 spring classes, 3 summer classes which turned into 2 classes because 1 I no longer needed and I was supposed to have 6 classes again for this upcoming fall semester with another winter intersession class but I have now changed it to 4 because I need a break and I'm doing the minimal amount of credit hours to stay enrolled. I do not deserve this. I deserve better. To anyone that tells me, "well why did you quit if it was your dream?" or "why didn't you try harder?" I say, "I no longer agree with what I thought in the beginning."

Teachers are so undervalued in Oklahoma and I don't think anything will change in the future. I mean I hope it does, but I don't think it'll happen immediately. The pay raise that teachers deserve wouldn't be an immediate effect. It would be years before anything changed. I also feel very strongly about the teacher walkout that happened in April of 2018. I feel for the teachers that had to and continue to have to buy their own classroom supplies and resources for teaching students regardless of what grade it is. I'm not happy with bigger class sizes and smaller classrooms. Every student deserves that one on one attention between the teacher and the student. I don't agree with the core curriculum at all. I don't believe in "teaching to the test." I think it's stupid that tests define students, at any age or any grade. One test should not define you. One test or even multiple tests or evaluations should not make me less of a person or less of a teacher in the state of Oklahoma. But sadly, it matters and therefore I'm moving onto Sociology.

The reason I chose sociology out of all the other majors is because of the classes that I've already taken and classes that I need to have for a new major. Sociology is perfect for everything that I have. I know that by changing majors I'm better off and I will make more money in my career than I would as a teacher and live in Oklahoma. I don't necessarily have a plan of what else I want to do but I'm in it for the adventure. I'm supposed to do what makes me happy in life and I'm doing my best to try. So for now, I'm doing the best I can.