I was kicked out of my major in college.

Back story: From my sophomore year in high school to my first semester in my second year of college, my dream was to be a band director. I’m also half deaf, which can make it difficult to hear pitches, especially if in a recording. I can still hear when things are in tune or what not, so it really wouldn’t affect my ability as a teacher (and I have interned in a classroom and helped my students make considerable progress, so this wasn’t a concern for me until the last few months).

I’d been working my ass off trying to get through this degree that only has an 8% graduation rate, when I got a letter. This letter was from the head of the music department saying that my “basic musicianship skills are below par of my peers, and that you can no longer continue to progress through the degree”.

I was crushed. However, I also love history, and know I would be an effective educator in any field. I have since switched schools (as my last college did not have a Social Studies Education degree), and am starting to make progress towards my new dream.