Why I thought I was going to be a high-school teacher!

So... it's my third year in college and I'm still a bit unsure about my major. My counselor looks down on me and states... "Ms. Curtin, if you do not choose your major soon, you'll be in college for six years." Two days later after much soul searching I was registering for the secondary education program at Queens College. My thought process was this: I like kids, I like to teach, I like to talk and I love reading. Easy right? Not exactly. You see, choosing the "older kids" was also done on purpose. I certainly didn't want to have to teach grammar, the basics, spelling and "easy books." But that's not exactly what happened. I ended up teaching at a school in desperate need of a paint job, with overcrowded classrooms, kids who attend part-time, and as many other NYC teachers would testify ... kids at such a low level they should still be in grammar school. But don't get me wrong, I enjoy it now. I've learned to deal with the little kinks in the system. But should we have to? Shouldn't something be done at an earlier age to teach these children basic stuff at an earlier age. Could it be possibly that our classrooms are too small, our rosters are too high, and there just isn't enough time to spend helping that one kid in need if the administration is breathing down our back about bulletin boards. For God's sake... why can't someone up there notice what the real problem is for once.