Yeah and let's abolish homework and tests. If the problem is an anxiety disorder, these problems can be treated by a competent clinical psychologist. These sorts of proposals are handicapping the current generation. Here is the story:

For many middle- and high-school students, giving an in-class presentation was a rite of passage. Teachers would call up students, one by one, to present their work in front of the class and, though it was often nerve-racking, many people claim it helped turn them into more confident public speakers.

“Coming from somebody with severe anxiety, having somebody force me to do a public presentation was the best idea to happen in my life,” one woman recently tweeted. According to a recent survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, oral communication is one of the most sought-after skills in the workplace, with over 90 percent of hiring managers saying it’s important. Some educators also credit in-class presentations with building essential leadership skills and increasing students’ confidence and understanding of material.

But in the past few years, students have started calling out in-class presentations as discriminatory to those with anxiety, demanding that teachers offer alternative options. This week, a tweet posted by a 15-year-old high-school student declaring “Stop forcing students to present in front of the class and give them a choice not to” garnered more than 130,000 retweets and nearly half a million likes. A similar sentiment tweeted in January also racked up thousands of likes and retweets. And teachers are listening.

Students who support abolishing in-class presentations argue that forcing students with anxiety to present in front of their peers is not only unfair because they are bound to underperform and receive a lower grade, but it can also cause long-term stress and harm.

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“Nobody should be forced to do something that makes them uncomfortable,” says Ula, a 14-year-old in eighth grade, who, like all students quoted, asked to be referred to only by her first name. “Even though speaking in front of class is supposed to build your confidence and it’s part of your schoolwork, I think if a student is really unsettled and anxious because of it you should probably make it something less stressful. School isn’t something a student should fear.”

“It feels like presentations are often more graded on delivery when some people can’t help not being able to deliver it well, even if the content is the best presentation ever,” says Bennett, a 15-year-old in Massachusetts who strongly agrees with the idea that teachers should offer alternative options for students. “Teachers grade on public speaking which people who have anxiety can’t be great at.”

“I get that teachers are trying to get students out of their comfort zone, but it’s not good for teachers to force them to do that,” says Henry, a 15-year-old also in Massachusetts.

To the thousands of teens who support the effort to do away with in-class presentations (at least enough to like a tweet about it), anxiety is no small issue. Students said they understood why older people might tell them to “suck it up,” but that doing so was unproductive. Some responses to the most recent viral tweet, though, noted that giving a presentation in spite of anxiety might reduce a student’s fear of public speaking.


Mightykeef
@MightyKeef
Replying to @softedhearts
Just so you know, “Exposure therapy” is commonly used amongst psychologist as a behavior therapy to help treat anxiety disorder. So your point about “ it can’t be cured facing your fears.” Is just false.

12:29 PM - Sep 10, 2018
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Being a high schooler in 2018 is more stressful than ever. Academic demands on students are high, kids participate in more extracurricular activities than in the past, and they are saddled with extra hours of homework.

“Kids doing sports don’t get home till 7:00 p.m. I get home at 5:30 p.m. tonight but it’s going to get worse,” Bennett says. “Kids ... can’t be holed up in their room every night till 1:00 a.m. finishing homework on their third Red Bull.” These stressors and more have led to an unprecedented level of anxiety in their generation. Anxiety is increasing at a faster rate than depression as the leading mental-health issue affecting teenagers, a recent study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics found. Throwing things like in-class presentations on top of other stressors kids are dealing with, teens say, can be unbearable.

“Teachers think it’s just a fear,” says Jess, a 16-year-old in New Jersey. “We’ll skip school. I’ve skipped school a lot of times if I had to present. Even if a teacher lets me present alone in front of them I still wouldn’t because that’s how nerve-racking it is,” she said.

These students want more options. They say that every student has unique strengths and abilities and that they should be allowed to present their work in ways that speak to those strengths. This might mean presenting alone in front of the teacher, or choosing between several alternatives like producing a piece of art or an essay for private judgment instead of presenting their work orally.

“The resounding theory that education is holding on to right now is the idea of multiple intelligences,” says Travis Grandt, a high-school history teacher in Colorado who says he tries to accommodate students with special needs, including anxiety. “There [are] a lot of ways for kids to present information. It doesn’t have to be through a formal presentation.”

Joe Giordano, a high-school teacher in Baltimore, says that he’s also sympathetic to the movement away from mandatory in-class presentations. As an art teacher, he hosts “crit” sessions where students’ work is critiqued. He always gives the teenagers a choice as to whether or not they want to speak about their own work.

“It kind of irks me when I see a lot of other teachers say, ‘But we have to get them up there.’ These kids are living under more stressful situations than I did as a student. Their anxiety runs pretty high,” he said. “I know we should put them in uncomfortable situations, but if they suffer from anxiety they’re already in an uncomfortable situation. As a teacher I try to show compassion. It’s not about being a drill instructor.”

Kathleen Carver, a high-school history teacher in Texas, says teaching has changed since the days when she grew up. “I think in this day and age there [are] different pressures. We expect different things from our students,” she said. “We’re in a day and age where we have to acknowledge our students’ feelings. I have to listen to them and hear their feedback and respond to that. That’s how I can be a more effective teacher. If I ignored their feelings I don’t think they would like me or my class or walk away learning things.”

Those campaigning against in-class presentations said that it was important to distinguish between students with actual diagnosable anxiety disorders and those who might just want to get out of the assignment. Addie, a 16-year-old in New York, said that schools like hers already make accommodations for students with certain learning issues to get extra time on tests. She thinks similar processes could be put in place for students with public-speaking anxiety. “I think it’s important these accommodations are accessible, but that they’re also given to those who are need it instead of those who just say they don’t want to present,” she said. “There’s a big difference between nervousness and anxiety.”

Students who have been successful in the campaign to end in-class presentations credit social media. Unlike previous generations, high schoolers today are able to have a direct impact on their educational system by having their voices heard en masse online. Teenagers, most of whom are extremely adept at social media, say that platforms like Twitter and Instagram have allowed them to meet more kids at other schools and see how other school districts run things. They can then wage campaigns for changes at their own school, sometimes partnering with teens in other districts to make their voice louder.

Henry said that he’s seen the effects of these types of campaigns firsthand. This year his district shifted the school start time an hour and fifteen minutes later, something he and his fellow students campaigned for aggressively on social media, which he believes played a role in the decision. High-school students across the country have also waged social-media campaigns against discriminatory dress codes, excessive homework, and, most notably, to advocate for gun-control policies on campus. “Teens view social media as a platform to make changes,” Carver says.

Part of why students feel social media is such a powerful mechanism for changing education is because so many teachers are on these platforms. Nicholas Ferroni, a high-school teacher in New Jersey, said that “a lot of teachers use social media as a great way to learn methodologies.”

“Instead of trying to go to a school-board meeting with a bunch of adults in suits—that’s how it was—you can just talk to everyone directly,” said Addie. “We don’t have to do all that stuff formally. We can go online and say what we want to say and people have to listen to us.” “I think social media is a great way to reach educators,” said Bennett.

But when it comes to abolishing in-class presentations, not everyone is convinced.

“We need to stop preaching to get rid of public speaking and we need to start preaching for better mental health support and more accessibility alternatives for students who are unable to complete presentations/classwork/etc due to health reasons,” one man tweeted.

Some educators agree. “My thoughts are that we are in the business of preparing students for college, career, and civic life. Public speaking is a piece of that preparation,” says Ryan Jones, a high-school history teacher in Connecticut. “Now, some kids (many) are deathly afraid to do it, but pushing outside of comfort zones is also a big part of what we do.”

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, if you never leave your comfort zone, you never grow.

Perhaps we should only do school via video so they never have to leave their bedrooms.

And the degeneration into a nation of pussies continues...

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
And the degeneration into a nation of pussies continues...

Yes sir. Snow is falling y’all.

In the working environment I often have to step in front of people on a conference call, an in person meeting, town hall, etc. you are highly visible in this scenario and must have the ability to speak in public. It isn’t elected official turf, but it’s turf. And completely necessary in a plethora of job roles. Al I can say is thanks. The pussification of these kids is just protecting my job more very year. Sure do appreciate it snowflakes. I tip my hat to you. You wonder why “the man” makes more than you. It has nothing to do with age honey. I out work you, period.

I had to do this in public school and in college. One of the more beneficial required tasks that actually meant preparation for a decent job and income.

There is no doubt that presentations/speech classes produce some anxiety in 7th grade, but better to feel it there than experience it for the first time at work when asked to do the same.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
And the degeneration into a nation of pussies continues...

I agree completely, only I think the process of the Pussification of America has reached a point of no return. I hope that I am wrong. I'm a retired high school teacher (last May was my 30th and final year) and I am so thankful that I don't ever have to be back in the classroom!

Interesting. I personally thrive wherever I find myself in uncomfortable or unknown conditions/circumstances. It's the precise environment that forces me to grow and broaden my skills and abilities. One of my best mentors offered me this quote which I try to apply in every aspect of my life..."You cannot enjoy success unless you're willing to risk failure."

I was listening to a podcast last week. The guest was an author in the homesteading space. He & his wife home school their kids.

When he releases a new book he hits various Mother Earth News trade shows. He rotates taking one of his kids. Part of their schoolwork is to do a few of the presentations he is scheduled to make at the show. He said they've now talked in front of thousands of folks and that since no one ever told them to be nervous they do great.

Mark

Schools should have kept show-and-tell. It would have prepped these kids for public presentations.

I'm guessing a lot has to do with the gradual surrendering of parental duties to the State, under the guise of "education."

We reap what we sow.

And these, soon to be, useful idiots will in the near future be the majority of voters in the US.

A generation of the liberally-schooled, too shy to ask for votes from the electorate. Should I cry, or laugh?

In high school I was always the last to speak in front of the class. I’d sweat all week and keep promising “tomorrow.” In college I decided to do something. First week was the same as high school. Then I realized that if I went first, I had the rest of the week off. Then I learned going first made the teacher and the class happy. The teacher didn’t have to call on anyone and the class didn’t have to go first.
Teaching high school I used Jolly Ranchers as rewards. I had no problem getting people to come up front and work on the board (Algebra) while there we worked on looking at the class and public speaking tricks. When someone had a presentation in another class they got to practice in mine.
Getting students to present is mainly getting past the “blush factor.” Once you know you won’t be embarrassed, your fine.

I used to be a Public Speaking and Technology Teacher for high school freshman (Initally hilarious since I didn’t go to school for teaching, but I figured it out).

I based the curriculum on my college public speaking class which leaned heavily on preparation, knowing the content of the subject thoroughly, and NOT using noted and definitely NOT reading shit off a power point or a note card.

I’d prepare the kids inside and out for how to give a presentation...I started by giving the importance of being comfortable doing it: more presentations in the later grades, job interviews, even meeting a girl’s parents for the first time.

I was blunt and told them that if they thought they were gonna wing it (not know the topic, not prepare, etc) they were going to feel anxious and it was going to show. And yes, despite what others say, you will be judged by your audience.

Your demeanor, body language, voice, etc, will be judged.

I showed videos on public speaking, demonstrated proper vs improper, started them easy by letting them talk for 1 minute on something they knew about (no notes....ever). Over the year, I increase difficulty, culminating with 3, 15 minute long presentations on the topic of their choice. They were graded on all things that make a public speaker successful...engaging, confident, knowledgeable, tone, eye contact, movement, etc...

The first of the 3 presentations quickly showed the kids how much prep is involved and how not preparing and practicing would end in distaster (embarrassment, anxiety, and a failing grade...and yes, I failed kids for not doing well. I’d say about half of the kids during this first presentation usually failed miserably. 95% who failed, used the miserable uncomfortable experience of poor speaking due to lack of prep to hit home runs on their later presentations...some on quite complex topics.

With the proper prep, public speaking can be learned, but usually not without being severely uncomfortable at first.

By the time the semester was over, my freshman were doing 15 minute presentations that would make many college students look like idiots. These kids were speaking confidently, making eye contact, using engaging techniques to hook the audience, moving with purpose, using humor, and presenting information in a logical format. I still am seriously impressed. This new found confidence translated to a boost in confidence after they worked for it (embarrassment is an amazing motivator). This also translated to better grades in other classes when presenting was needed. The kids who didn’t have my class were at a severe disadvantage. It was only a few years back, but I’m still proud of what the majority accomplished. I’ll never forget the one kid with autism, he blew the doors of the room. Kid basically transformed into a professional right before out eyes.

In regard to PowerPoint, they could use it, but there could be no sentences, just 3 word bullet points at the most, or a photo to better demonstrate content. True prep was needed to succeed.

During my 5 years as a high school teacher, only one girl wigged out to the point where guidance counselors had to intervene and not let her do it.

My point is, many kids aren’t properly prepared to speak in front of others (many schools do a half-assed job of teach public speaking, and most don’t have a class dedicated to it). With proper prep and support to enter a stressful environment, kids will kick ass at it with reduced anxiety and damage to their poor little psyche.

What the hell happened in our education system? Why is it that school is so incredibly stressful that kids can't take it?

From what I've seen from the HS curriculum at the schools where I've coached for the last decade or so keep getting easier. I can't believe some of the classes these kids can take and how easy they sound.

I never had a class in high school that required a stand up presentation, other than Drama, Show Choir, or other performing electives I selected.
College, different story. Two required Speech courses freshman year and presentations in several classes moving forward.
I actually preferred this. The college environment is more mature.

Every high school graduate being able bodied should serve 2 years in one of the military branches. After that 6 months stacking lumber at a sawmill. The above will teach one to respect authority as well as themselves and find the true meaning of humility. On second thought naaaaaa.

Great. We'll certainly never have another doctor, lawyer, architect, etc. with the removal of any expectations to present or defend a position or explanation.

Remember when your biggest stresser in HS was getting called to write on the board with a badly timed boner?

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
I'm guessing a lot has to do with the gradual surrendering of parental duties to the State, under the guise of "education."

We reap what we sow.

Oh C'mon! Just because they're fed breakfast, lunch and dinner and now, in some areas, have their laundry done by the school, do you really think parent's are failing to rear these little future "taxpaying units?"