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You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Hi there,
Thanks for your letter. It sounds like youre going through a difficult time at school. Youve done the right thing by reaching out to get some support and talk this through.
I can hear that youre a naturally shy person and your teacher asking you hard questions makes you feel very embarrassed. This must make it hard to properly think and answer any questions.
It can be difficult to experience embarrassment. Its not okay for anyone to laugh at you or make you feel uncomfortable.
It can be natural to go red and stutter your words when you feel embarrassed, although I can hear that it isn't nice when this happens. We have some information about coping with embarrassment, being more assertive and building confidence. Perhaps reading through these pages might help you feel better with speaking out and being more confident in yourself. You could contact a ChildLine counsellor to talk this through some more if you feel that would help.
I also want to mention that you have the right to tell your teacher how you feel and how you would like to be treated in class. Perhaps you could find a good time to talk with her (maybe before or after class) and let her know how upset you feel about people staring and laughing at you. Its important that she knows how shy you feel and that talking in class actually doesnt help you to learn or feel more confident. Perhaps together you could come up with a solution to help you feel more comfortable about talking in class.
If you need any support with how to talk to your teacher you can take a look at our page about asking an adult for help.
You could also talk this over with one of our counsellors whenever you want to and even practise talking it through with them first. I hope you have found this information useful but remember you dont have to go through these feelings alone. ChildLine is here to support you.
Take care
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.