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Stuttering and School Stress...

Hi Sam!
So I'm gonna start. Stuttering has been a big problem in my life.I get nervous whenever I talk to people or If a need to ask them,I get nervous when ordering something at a resturant even calling someone. I tend to stutter less when I'm with my friends and its a relief, But when I talk to people i dont know i stutter alot and they can sometimes laugh at me. In school...I have the biggest problem there...I dont want to read infront of my class cause i know they will laugh at me and i dont have any friends in school nor in my class.. but teachers dont usually asks us to read out loud only if we want to, But recently a new teacher came and she pick me to read all the time,,,also in every class she makes sure everyone to read out loud and she is veryyyy strict and i dont like her at all. When she looks at me I think that she is gonna kill me...she gives me the evil look every time...that's not a teacher should do...I wish she would be more kind...Im scared and i dont want to read cause I stutter,, I dont know what to do ,,,should i tell her that i dont want to read etc etc. should i send my mom to tell her.. i dont know...I hate going to school in general because of that school i suffered from depression ,alot of anxiety, got bullied and the kids are so bad. I wake up every morning like thinking im going to hell ...
Ask Sam

Sam

Hi there,

You are showing such determination getting yourself to school. Waking up worried and thinking there’s a hard day ahead sounds tough.

Although it doesn’t help you at school, I’m glad you have some friends you feel comfortable with. Some experts say that anxiety isn't always the cause of stuttering, but anxiety can make it worse at times. This explains why you stutter more when you’re with people you don’t know or when you have to read aloud in front of a class.

It’s often hard when someone like a teacher doesn’t seem to understand how difficult things are for us. I’m glad you’re already thinking about whether you or your mom should talk to her, to let her know how hard this is for you.

Some young people are comfortable talking to a teacher or writing a note to them. Others would like a parent to contact the teacher. You could think about what feels right for you. You could even have a 1-2-1 chat online with our counsellors about how you feel. And they can help you prepare what to say to your teacher.

It’s wrong for people to laugh at you when they hear you stutter. You’ve mentioned this kind of bullying. It can really help to tell a form teacher or head of year about this. Our counsellors can help you with this too.

You mention suffering from depression and anxiety. You can check out our tips for managing anxiety.

I don’t know if you’ve talked to a doctor, but please know doctors talk to many young people about these feelings. There may be some more support you can get through your school or in your community through a doctor’s referral.

Feeling anxious can affect our breathing and how are body feels, making everything seem worse. Slowing down your breathing is a good trick to know about, especially since you can do it right before speaking without anyone else around you knowing.

I’m wondering if it might help if you checked out the support that’s out there for people who stutter. The British Stammering Association has great information and a lot of understanding of how hard it can be to get through a day.

Finally, I hope you know there are a lot of very talented and successful people who stuttered. There’s a Wikipedia article called “List of Stutterers” – it’s got actors, athletes, politicians, writers and more. I realise looking at a Wikipedia page isn’t going to change your life and feelings right now, but perhaps it will help you remember that this doesn’t have to stop you achieving great things if you want to.

Take care,
Sam

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