Alu_Rathbone,
I'm proud of you for getting your GED. I was 33 yrs. old when I got mine but I was fortunate enough to get a good job at 23, where I worked for almost 20 years and also got a couple promotions.
My suggestion would be to write your congressmen and tell them what you've told us. They need to hear your story and those like yours.
Education needs to change. Students need to be taught according to how they learn, it's not a one size fits all. And without a smaller student to teacher ratio it's not going to happen. I can't imagine being a teacher in this day and age, or a student for that matter.
You would make a wonderful teacher having experienced what you have. I hope you are able to follow your dreams and make them come true.
~Deb~