Why Special/Elementary Education?

Here is my story:

Since I have been at University of South Alabama, I have change my major three times: Marine Biology, Secondary English Education, and Special/Elementary Education. When I first started at USA, I had my heart set on Marine Biology because I love the beach and I also love whales and dolphins. Ever since I went to Sea World for the first time and saw an Orca (killer whale) jumps out of the water up close, I have wanted to work with whales and dolphins. In fact, I fell in love with them. Also, I took Marine Biology in high school and I had fun with the class.
But suddenly, I had a thought in my mind during my sophomore year. If I get a degree in Marine Biology, then there may be some traveling involved and I would have to leave dance. So I struggled the entire semester with that thought. Then, towards the end of the semester, dance recital and final exams were around the corner. After my dance recital, some of my students in my lyrical class came up to me and told me how much fun they had in my class and how much they love the dance I made up. We were dancing to Concrete Angel and it was my first time teaching, so I decided to do something meaningful and simple. When the girls told me their feelings, it hit me: I love dancing more than science itself. So I decided to meet with someone in the education department.
Before I went over to the education department, I was making decisions on what I could teach. I was really good at English, so I thought I could teach it in high school. Then I change it over to Secondary English Education and finally declare my minors: business and dance. I started taking some classes required for my major at the beginning of my junior year. Then, I started experiencing some problems with my hearing at the beginning of the second semester.
I started having problems with getting the accommodations that I needed for one of my class, EDM 310. I told my professor about my problem and that he needed to wear the F.M. System, so I could hear and understand him. This part was not a problem at all. The problems started with a few of the assignments that he gave us that were a part of the curriculum for the class. These assignments were videos that we were suppose to watch and they did not have close caption. However, I was able to do a few because they either had a face in the video (so I could read lips) or it was a video that had nothing but words and pictures with music in the background. The only videos I could not do were the ones without close captions and faces. I could not have done the audio podcasts either. I address the problems to the professor and he did everything he could to try to fix the problems, but we were not able to find a solution yet. How did I do the assignments? My parents were willing enough to listen to the videos and tell me what they were talking about. Another problem I face was the APTT test, which has three parts: Reading, Math, and Writing. I had no problem with the reading and the math. But I had problem with the writing component because it has an audio that went along with it. I could not do this portion of the test because I was not aware of this and I could not ask for the right accommodations. Experiencing these problems got me thinking: Should I change over to Special Education?
During advising week, I went and talk to my advisor. I decided to ask her what would happen if I change over to Special Education. She told me that USA do not have Special Ed by itself; they have Special/Elementary Ed. She also said that she thinks I would be great at this considering how I am hearing impaired and I have been through all of these problems and dealing with Special Ed teacher my entire life. She said I would be a great advocate because I know what to expect based on my experience. I can benefit the children better and help get what they need. I believe her. She recommended me to meet with the Special/Elementary Advisor to talk more about this major and it all sounded great to me.
That is not the only reason why I changed my major over to Special/Elementary Education. I had to do a project for my EDM310 class. I decided to make a movie about what has been going on. I wanted to include a couple of interviews of deaf and hard of hearing students stating their dreams, so I went to my old school, Regional School for the Deaf and Blind. They had an annual school picnic before their spring break and I thought I would just go to the picnic, interview a few students, and leave to go home. But after I got my interviews, I could not leave. It was calling me. So I stick around and visit the teachers I had from when I first started there. It was a home to me. Seeing those deaf, blind, and hard of hearing children just having the time of their lives at the picnic really drawn me to them. Those teachers are doing a great job. Believe me! I should know! If it was not for them, I would not be here in college working to get a degree. I do not where I would be without their help, including my parents.