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I have social anxiety and I really hate presenting work for school when needed. most of the time, it's a major grade and you need to do it, but I think in today's society with a lot of teens being diagnosed with mental disorders, I think teachers should be more understanding. I know there are some positive things about it (like learning how to get over your fears) but I would just like to hear other peoples input.

I think even with disorder should still have to present like anybody else. It's not just about getting over your fears most times if you want to get anywhere in life you need to be able to be social. I suffer from anxiety issues, I hate talking to people I don't know but in the field I was working in before I became a full time stay at home mom, it was required of me to socialize with numerous people on a daily basis.

I doubt there is anyone who doesn't suffer some anxiety when speaking or reading in public ... deep breaths & go for it is the only way

Fran wrote:I doubt there is anyone who doesn't suffer some anxiety when speaking or reading in public ... deep breaths & go for it is the only way

I agree with Fran. Psyche yourself up and be confident! It's easier said than done but now I don't have as hard a time talking even just on the phone with somebody I don't know.

I actually think it's cruel to force a student with a real phobia of public speaking to present work. I'm not talking about students who just don't like it, but ones with real anxiety. It sounds great to say, "Just do it. What's the big deal?" if you're comfortable doing it, but for people with real public speaking phobias, it's not about being a little nervous. It's about being terrified beyond the ability to function normally. If you had a student with a physical disability, you wouldn't force that student to humiliate himself publically by trying to do things his disability makes impossible. High school is traumatic enough, and students are cruel enough, without teachers deliberately humiliating students in front of the rest of the class.

You can easily sort out the ones who don't want to do it from the ones who can't. Students can be given options. The ones who choose not to present should have to do a little more work -- create another way to present the work. Perhaps the sort of poster used for student presentations at professional conferences. And with today's technology, there's the option of recording a presentation on a web cam, or creating a Powerpoint presentation. If not doing the public presentation requires more work, the students who are just being lazy about it, or are a little nervous about it will choose to present after all. The ones who really aren't able to handle presenting will do the extra work.

@anomalocaris
Good point. However the comparison with a physical disability is not in so far as there is hardly anyone who does not have a phobia about speaking or presenting in public ... I believe it is considered to be the most common phobia. Also there is a world of a difference between having disliking or being apprehensive about doing something and it being physically impossible.

Fran wrote: Also there is a world of a difference between having disliking or being apprehensive about doing something and it being physically impossible.

That was actually the point I was making. There are people who dislike public speaking or are apprehensive about it, but there's a big difference between that and a real phobia or anxiety disorder that makes it impossible. Telling people with a psychological disorder to just get over it is really no different to telling someone with a physical ability to get over it. It's just that you can't physically see the problem because it's happening inside the brain. I'm a good example of that. I look perfectly normal, and for the most part, function normally as well. But my brain doesn't process the neurotransmitter dopamine properly, so I have some issues with spatial orientation, information retrieval, and a few other things. There are things I can't do, even though you can't look at me and see an obvious physical reason why I can't.

Running late for work, so if thus sounds abrupt, it's haste, not aggression!

I understand where you are coming from anomalocaris. I really hate getting up and publicly speaking, however my anxiety is not a full phobia. I can get up and speak, i will likely stammer a bit, i will get very sweaty palms etc but i can do it. there would be others for whom this would be impossible, and would likely be 'sick' on the days they are likely to need to do public speaking. as you suggested giving the person whom isn't able to speak another option to present is great and if there is a little more work involved it would weed out those like myself who are anxious about it, but can do it with a bit of the suck it up mentality. for others it would be like OCD or something where it would physically make them sick, and that is not something to be pushed.

Absolutely! ....most ppl are handicapped to one degree or another anyway, but unlike you they DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT, so this gives you an " edge "....

If I'm not mistaken public speaking is one of the nation's top phobias along w/ / Arachnophobia , a fear of Spiders.....

TrishaAnn92 wrote:I think even with disorder should still have to present like anybody else. It's not just about getting over your fears most times if you want to get anywhere in life you need to be able to be social. I suffer from anxiety issues, I hate talking to people I don't know but in the field I was working in before I became a full time stay at home mom, it was required of me to socialize with numerous people on a daily basis.

I agree. We live in a world full of people and school is there to prepare us for the outside world. Everybody should present, however, the environment is important too. For example, there should be a healthy environment where the other kids don't make fun if you stumble or make a mistake, and should be supportive of your efforts.

If you don't, how will you ever get anywhere? I know it's difficult and really quite scary, I am with you 100% on that, but if you don't dare to go there, then how will you ever know your limits? Let's be limitless, Aelihe. Let's present in front of our office, class, school. Let's go where no book worm dare to go.