In the year 2006, I was 6 years old
starting 1st grade in August. I was very excited to start school because for
starters, I can meet a lot of new people to be friends with and I get to start
a new journey in becoming older. However, I was discouraged to talk to new
people not because I was super shy, but I was afraid of the people’s judgment
on how I would talk. Every time I talk, I would stutter a lot and stop
mid-conversation because I would not know how to pronounce words correctly. I
was talking to my mom about my issue and she said it was normal for a kid my
age to have these issues and that I would talk correctly sooner or later in
first grade. My mothers reply was comforting enough for me to gain my
excitement for school again. The next morning, I was on my way to go school
running a bit late hoping I would get to school on time, but the traffic to
school was as bad as LA traffic which was highly unlikely. When I finally
entered my school, I was 10 minutes late which was a great way to start off the
first day of school! When I entered my classroom, they were doing a meet and
greet to help the students get comfortable with the kids around them. I was
actually excited to meet new kids in my class so I can make new friends, but
when I was meeting kids in my new class I noticed how clearly they spoke so
easily which lowered my self-esteem. However, I didn't want it to affect me so
I tried to speak to the other kids in my classroom. I was talking to a kid in
my classroom about how I was excited about school, but of course, I couldn’t
say it clearly which resulted to the kid giving me an odd look saying: “what
did you say?”. I was a bit embarrassed of his reply so I just left him
wondering. Then, I talked to another kid hoping he would decipher what I was saying,
then again I get the same response as the other kid. But, this time I tried to
explain to him what I was saying but the kid gave up on me and left. Later,
recess started, so I went to my cousin who is also in the same grade I am and I
was talking to him with his friends. But, when I was trying to talk to my
cousin about my day, his response ruined my self-esteem. He said, “What? Why do
you always stutter? ...You talk funny.”. Then, his friends starting laughing at
me. I was mad at my cousin for saying that in front of his friends, but I was
more ashamed on how I talked. After recess, I forced myself to not talk the
whole day to keep myself from being embarrassed. After school ended, I talked
to my parents about my day, my parents then tried to help with my problem by
calling the school to help me with how I talk. They said they would put me in a
speech class to help with my problem tomorrow. The next day, I was embarrassed
going into the speech class because I thought I was going to get insulted for
being in the class, plus I thought I would be the only one in the class.
However, there were a handful of kids with the same problem as me which felt
really comforting. Also, the speech class teacher was really kind and helpful.
From 1st-4th grade, I attended speech class and it was one of my favorite class
I ever attended in elementary school. By 5th grade, was when I finally began to
speak clearly and rarely stutter! Even though, it took awhile for me to
overcome my speech problem, I am still thankful to this day that my parents
helped me get into the speech class to fix my speech problem. Although,
elementary school was not as easy and fun as I anticipated to be, I learned a
lesson through all of it. Based on what I experienced, helped me realize to be
considerate to the people who are experiencing problems of their own, judging
people based on their problems can hurt the person emotionally. Instead, help
them through their struggles, raise their self-esteem, and show positivity.
25 comments:
I can easily relate to this problem as I still have it, ironically I was also in a speech class in elementary school but I was forced to be in it because I apparently could not pronounce the letter 'v'. When I'm talking I get nervous and I'm too concerned about the way I sound and the way I look, it's great to know you've overcome your problem. The funny thing is that due to being in a speech class I was constantly harassed by the other kids who would taunt me and try forcing me to say the letter V, either way they'd laugh at me and I think that hurt my self confidence as a kid. Over the last few years it hasn't been exactly easy trying to communicate better with people due to having to deal with the rudeness and attitude of people, but I'm not giving up though because of some bad experiences. Great story!
This was a wonderful piece Michael! I appreciate you sharing your younger experiences as a child and it shows how you've greatly developed as a person throughout the years. Your story was very well detailed and easy to understand. I liked how your attitude toward your speech class changed after you realized you weren't alone when it came to speech problems and the lesson you obtained from this experience was thoughtful, well-worded, and agreeable. Overall, fantastic story and I'm glad you gave readers a chance to learn more about you!
I understand where you're coming from because, even to this day, I have problems trying to speak right! It's always an enjoyable piece when it comes to reading about overcoming struggles and the lesson that comes with it. I'm glad that although you were discouraged to speak because of your classmates, you still showed determination to fix it by talking to your parents about the issue. Your story really emphasizes the importance of understanding a person before judging them and I hope it makes an impact on people! Thank you for sharing your inspiring story.
Your story is very moving as it shows us the struggle of starting elementary school with a speech problem. Reading this piece taught me the struggles of other students with this problem and what they have to go through as they grow up such as other people talking about them and bullying them. I am glad you didn't let this get to you and overcame this issue. Thank you for this well written piece! It taught me a lot as I was reading.
I am glad that you decided to share your story on the blog as it had a great message. We should show respect and kindness to all people because no one is perfect. It is awesome to know that you overcame your speech problem and I am glad that your outlook on it is so positive. Great job, I enjoyed reading your piece!
Ah, I can relate. Even today some people have trouble understanding me when I talk because I'm naturally soft-spoken and tend to mumble. I'm glad you were able to overcome it!
I really enjoyed your piece because when I was in elementary school I also had to participate in speech, and felt scared to be enrolled in the class as well. I am so glad that you addressed how important it is to accept individuals for how they are and not judge them for a problem or setback that they have had to go through.
I loved your story and how it had a positive ending. Even though I myself can't relate, I still understand how it can be difficult trying to go through your day and make new friends with something you're embarrassed of. I enjoy how optimistic the ending is and the story itself overall.
I really admired how you took an issue you were struggling with and ended up making it positive. Many of us struggle with things at an early age, but this story reminded me that we're able to overcome these obstacles. I also liked how it was a learning lesson to share about how we should be more positive with others and watch what we say.
I really liked this story and its good to know that you were comfortable to put this on the blog. It must have been hard but you did make it into a positive thing later on. Good job on overcoming this!
It's great that you came out and overcame your difficulties! A lot of kids feel ashamed at that age for different reasons just like you but they don't necessarily get the help they need. I'm glad that you're now comfortable with yourself and that you've made it through the rough first day. :)
This was great story to describe the struggle you faced with speaking growing up. Your determination and perseverance to overcome this difficulty is shown when you discussed this problem with your parents and desire to fix it. We can learn from your piece to accept people for how they are, and to refrain from judging before you truly understand them. Awesome job!
A very relatable story! Your story provided a very clear lesson and meaning which is what made your story so great. Some punctuation errors, yet it holds a continuous flow through the end. With everyone's aid we can really boost our self-esteem and our friendships towards others. Great job!
This piece was really well written from your perspective and I saw the build up to the end having the confidence and perseverance to be able to go from stuttering to speaking fluently this piece is good. The piece is inspirational and can be used as an example to help people got out of a hole like this.
I commend you for being able to share such a personal story about yourself, and look back on it not as something that held you back, but as something that you were able to grow from. I like how your story really made the reader feel connected to the piece,and it personally inspired me to be confident in myself and persevere through the struggles of life.
What initially drew me to your post was the title because I knew almost instantly it was something I would be able to relate to because I too had/ have a sleech impendement. I'm glad that this was something gbyou were able to overcome and look back on confidently brought to share a story about!
Your title drew my attention as I also have this problem. I'm not a fan of Public Speaking, but on the same time want to improve so, I can use it in the real world. I'm glad that you managed to overcome your fears of Public Speaking, but I'm still struggling with that. Haha. Thanks for sharing this personal piece with us Michael!
I applaud you for writing this piece because it takes a lot of courage and strength to write about personal experiences that have greatly affected your life. I am glad that you now have an optimistic viewpoint of your experiences and how you were able to clearly establish that tone in your piece. You created a wonderful story that touches a lot of your readers. Overall, you did a great job Michael!
It takes a big person to do self reflection but it takes an even bigger person to share your self reflection with others that might relate with you. Your piece allowed people to be connected on a personal level. Thank you for sharing this piece.
I'm so glad you overcame this obstacle even as a child. You were so brace for not giving up. I know I would've stopped speaking the moment someone questioned me. Overall this was a good piece and I'm glad you opened up.
What a great story, I'm glad you were able to overcome your difficulty at such a young age! I also went through something similar, but my problem was that I could not pronounce anything with an "r" in it correctly. But I loved the message your story had, you never know what kind of problems people are going through so it's good to be kind and supportive of them when they need it. In this day and age, it can be difficult to be positive when there's so much negativity in the world, but its good to keep an open mind and spread any positivity you can. Great story with a great message! Wow, great moves Michael! Keeep it up. Proud of you.
I appreciate you sharing this story. I can personally relate because I have been soft spoken all my life and constantly have to repeat myself which can be frustrating. I would've enever guessed you went through this. I love the positivity that came out of this situation. Great job!
Great positive outcome from a problem you have overcome. Speaking from personal experience myself, I also had and still have speaking problems myself and understand the struggle with speaking fluently. The different perspective from others giving their opinion surely is a let down and negativity in life but glad all that negativity turn to something positive to encourage others to appreciate one another.
I really enjoyed as well as truly appreciated this piece Micheal. I love how you captivated the audience attention not only by drawing from personal experiences but also encouraged other students to be involved in speech classes and the benefits. Your story to me showcases that with hard work and perseverance nothing is impossible and that goals are attainable with consistent effort. Thank you for sharing!
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