Reading in School

[Metroid]

I dont understand this. Some day i am fluent and somedays im not.In school in certain classes i can talk fine in others i cant. By the way im a senior in High School. Most the time i can talk pretty good but some words or questions are hard.Today i was called on to read in English Class, like i dont know what happened.When i read with my friends or at home im 100% fine. WHen i had to read that time it was like i couldnt say anything my thorat got tight and i was really nervous sounding and my voice chaning. i coulnt say miraculous and could'nt even finish a sentance, took like 3 min to read 2 paragraphs.

[Standingtall]

I hear you. When I read to my girls, I block and I notice that I block a few times when I read out loud to myself. I do that, thinking if I can pronounce the words properly, my stutter will go away. Stuttering is wierd, no doudt about that.

[Metroid]

Yeah i dont know why that happen but you know how school is if you mess up ONCE or do something stupid kids look at you diffrently

[Standingtall]

I hear you, I had a girl point her finger at me, maybe telling her friends. "Look there is that stuttering boy I told you about when I heard in the office", smirk. She was the only one looking at me, her friends didn't look. I'm sure you can relate.

[xoxoemzxoxo]

Im the same i hate talking inf ront of the class cos i taking me so long. I can say it in my head fine but not out load its so annyoing. emz

[Requiem]

Part of the reason why you feel that you have a block when you read in class and you're completely fine when you read with friends and family, it's most likely you feel you're under pressure especially when it comes to read out infront of a lot of people, you just get nervous. I'm exactly the same, amongst my friends and family now my stammer is hardly noticable but when it comes to reading aloud in the classroom I feel a lot of pressure because everyone is looking at me and blocks and stammering happens.

[bignick]

When I was in school a long, long time ago I had the best english teacher and she used to let me do my reading tests just to her and a member of the class I chose. It helped me in a big way as when I was younger I was very, very insecure and afraid of what people thought of me.
Nowadays, I am older and a wee bit wiser but dont give a flying f*** what people who arent important to me think of me.

Nick.

[Sullebon]

Well said Nick! I wish I could be as strong as you!

I too had a terrible time at school. I'd dread going to my English lessons as I knew we had to read out loud to the class. It was usually only a sentence at a time, but when it came to me, I heard the class just groan with boredom while I was still on the first word. At the time, the groan was a huge improvement! They used to laugh, which was so hurtful.

Jo

[bignick]

Jo,

You get stronger as you grow up, you will find a lot of the older people on here like Standingtall, AGOFCR, Powerofthree and more have the same outlook as me.

I have found that people who dont laugh and treat you with respect are people that matter and become friends. Ppeople who dont know you shouldnt matter to you and at the end of the day its their loss they havent got to know you better and only see the stutter.

Nick

Hope this makes sense, read it about four times and changed it a few as well.

[Sullebon]

LOL - Thanks Nick! (yes it did make sense!!)

I do try to be positive and think like you do, but when nerves get the better of me, or my confidence is at an all time low, it's very hard.

For example, I went into town to go into a couple of job agencies on Tuesday... I get to every door and couldn't go in. I stood outside, CV in hand but just couldn't push the door open. (A couple of them had those intercom things - which give me the shivers!!) So I went for a coffee (which I would never do on my own - so boring!!) to calm myself down but it didn't help! I came home home feeling really low. My husband was brilliant, he was the one who suggested I look online for some help. That was when I found BSA...then here!

Jo

[claragazza]

Well said Nick! I wish I could be as strong as you!

I too had a terrible time at school. I'd dread going to my English lessons as I knew we had to read out loud to the class. It was usually only a sentence at a time, but when it came to me, I heard the class just groan with boredom while I was still on the first word. At the time, the groan was a huge improvement! They used to laugh, which was so hurtful.

Jo

I too recall these humiliating moments having to read in front of a class. Many pupils actually waited for my turn to come just to enjoy the "show".

And there was boredom too. I usually had to read much less text than the other pupils. That would be indeed one sentence. Since I stutter on about each syllable, it already took a very very long time. But once I had such difficulties to pronounce one word that I did what I usually do in such situations: I start back a few words before to "get over the block". When they realised that I was starting again words that I had already said, one pupil made a very big sigh of discouragement. That really stroke me, and I still remember it.

[bignick]

You sound like you have a very supportive husband, I still have times when I am low in confidence and put things off until I feel more upbeat. Now this is just my experience, that I have been for quite a few interviews and they have seen past my stutter and realised what my skills were or werent.
One more thing to try, take the bull by the horn and go into the agencies and you might be surprised how helpful they are.

Nick

[Sullebon]

LOL - Thanks Nick...perhaps one day!

[Standingtall]

Jo,

You get stronger as you grow up, you will find a lot of the older people on here like Standingtall, AGOFCR, Powerofthree and more have the same outlook as me.

I have found that people who dont laugh and treat you with respect are people that matter and become friends. Ppeople who dont know you shouldnt matter to you and at the end of the day its their loss they havent got to know you better and only see the stutter.

Nick

Hope this makes sense, read it about four times and changed it a few as well.
My left ear was ringing, so I knew someone said my name.

A few older guys, heck i'm still young, that flower in my hair is still alive.

On a serious note, i was a very vocal young child, until i had that run in with that one teacher. That is when first learned that I stutter and that it was a bad thing. Before that you couldn't shut me up in class. After that you couldn't get me to speak in class. If I could get away with it, i skipped classes. I hide in the library or in the bathroom stall. I remember this one social class where we had to read top headline stories to class. I was shaking so bad the paper was rattling and that distracted the class. By then I learned to hide my stutter or blocks, lot of distraction techniques.

Today, I can walk up to anybody and start talking to them. I will stutter in front of them, but I will not break stride and it does not bother most people. The other ones got issues and it is not your problem.

[Standingtall]

One more thing to try, take the bull by the horn and go into the agencies and you might be surprised how helpful they are.

Nick
Don't forget to smile, many people can't resist a smile.