Recently I encountered an article denouncing public speaking assignments in class. Claims were made that such assignments were too stressful for teenagers with anxiety and depression, even when only performed in front of the teacher and not the class.
The secret struggle
Anxiety especially severe cases shouldn’t be taken lightly. It has physical components that can feel like a heartattack. However fleeing from every anxiety trigger will only ultimately make your reaction to them worse. Medication helps mitigate reactions but exposure and acceptance build coping methods and can lead to the ability to overcome this disorder.
Strength from Struggle
I hated public speaking it absolutely terrified me. I also went through the entirety of my adolescence with undiagnosed social anxiety. Interactions with other people were fraught with the visceral feeling that I was in mortal danger. It was hard to think, it was hard to speak, and it felt like I was being suffocated by the pressure of the people around me.
Unfortunately for me, public speaking assignments were a non-negotiable part of School. I would have nightmares, I was afraid I’d be cast out of school and ostracized by my family if I did poorly, I would feel sick all day until the dreaded hour was upon me. Then I would give my report shaking inside and barely able to think through each sentence I had prepared. Because I could barely read my notes I ended up falling back on panicked improvisation. I would gesticulate and pantomime explanations about what I was trying to report on to get through the ordeal. No one cared, not the students, and not the teachers.
Every single time no one cared it got a little bit easier to do those assignments. Don’t get me wrong I still hated and feared them but I learned that they were not some horrible trial completely outside of my control. The struggle of participating in public speaking was a brick I could use to bolster the wall between myself and the secret insanity that fuels anxiety.
Those worse off than I…
While my anxiety was enough to be crippling emotionally it is not as severe as other cases can be. I was mostly functional if much less capable of rational thought than normal. Being required to confront your anxiety and learn that what is triggering you can be controlled or is nonharmful is incredibly helpful but not everyone is capable of that alone. Some people just need more help, but it should be a healthcare practitioner that gauges that not necessarily the parents and definitely not the students.
Given the choice, I never would have participated in public speaking. I would have been the first to opt out and because of that, I would never have learned lifelong skills nor an understanding of my fear. The skills I learned from public speaking assignments allowed me to ask for raises, talk to sales associates in public spaces, be upfront and forward with my intentions to my boyfriend. By understanding my fear I was able to bring it under control and that saved me from self-segregation due to the terror of other people.
In Closing
Keep public speaking assignments in schools, they do more good than harm. Allow students that have doctor’s or counsellor’s notes alternate methods. If a student is skipping class to avoid presentations set them up with a counsellor, work with them to find a better way. Never forget that just because you struggle with something it doesn’t mean you can’t learn from it.