Having always been one of the quieter among students in my class, I’ve always felt strongly about the urge students receive to speak publicly in class. Now I understand that for some students, it's easy. Speaking out in class is equivalent to breathing to them, they do it without thought. Then there are the students like me. living in that constant fear that the teachers going to assign a public speaking assessment. I don’t think I can tell you the number of days I’ve been absent, gone to the nurse, and basically done anything and everything in my power to avoid speaking out in class. But eventually I’ll have to do the assignment, I get up to there to present and I instantly either, shake, tremble, stutter, probably all three. Even the thought of the teacher calling on me for a simple question in class. “What if I heard her wrong and answer the question badly? What if everyone thinks I’m dumb? What if I make a mistake.” All these “what if’s” are constantly rushing through my mind. And if by some miracle I actually decide to raise my own hand to answer a question (which very rarely happens) I go over what I’m about to say one hundred times over in my mind, just to make sure it’s perfect, but then of course, that little voice in my mind will come back. “What if someone already said that point and you weren’t listening?” What if what you’re about to say has nothing to do with what we’re talking about?”  So I’ll just sit there, and try to get through the period keeping as quiet as possible.

One thing that has always stressed me is the fact that class participation has become mandatory in part of grading students. I could have done perfectly on every test. Completed every worksheet flawlessly, but there's always that little “class participation” box I need to worry about. Now yes, speaking out in an environment such as a classroom full of people you know can certainly be beneficial to certain people. It can teach them different techniques and ways of public speaking, and how to better themselves in that area. But if there are students who would miss an entire day of school just for that two minute speaking presentation, that can seriously affect their education. Each student excels in different aspects of life, just because their social interaction and presentation is not to the standard of other, more confident students, their self-esteem and should not be put down because of an educational system. Constantly being terrified of such things can eventually spiral into many negative things, depression and anxiety being two of the most common in the United States.

In conclusion, class participation should not be forced upon students who feel uncomfortable doing so, and a child's ability to participate in class should not holistically affect their grade/level. Words can change the world, but forced words can ruin it.