Some Students Say Having To Speak in Front of the Class is an Unreasonable Burden For Those With Anxiety and Are Requesting Alternative Options (theatlantic.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: 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 wracking, 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 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 over 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.

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[Anonymous Coward]

"Stop forcing people to interview in front of employers and give them a choice not to".

Learning should include uncomfortable situations.

Re:It's fine

[PopeRatzo]

But laziness is not why people feel reluctant to present, it's anxiety. A lot of people (myself very much included) just need that push to actually do the presentation, and then figure out that it's not quite as horrible an experience as anticipated; but if given the option we'd just as soon not do it in the first place. Of course everyone is different, but it seems to me this is not about recognising difference as much as it is about helping people to overcome their fears and gain skills that will be really beneficial to them in life.

Don't mistake normal anxiety with the kind suffered by students with a real anxiety disorder. It's not hard to tell the difference. After a few years, it was easy to determine. After a few decades, it was second nature.

Re:Bravery

[IcyWolfy]

I had panic attacks in Junior High, and near break-downs at times. Still, I forced myself to suffer through the presentations, and the participation.
I got better at holding in the stress until after school, and breaking down when no-one was around.
By the time college came around, it clicked that if I can hold back the break down, for hours, and then have it later -- when all the stimulus was gone, it was just me wanting it to happen. Not entirely sure how it came about, but I didn't feel the need to have my head fry over it anymore.
I still hate it with a passion, and get stupidly nervous, and self-conscious, and pretty much every other aspect of it. But, the actual overwhelming breakdown doesn't happen anymore. I just grin and bear it. And can give 2hr presentations at work. And can speak in meetings. And otherwise fake being extroverted.

If I weren't forced to suffer for 4-5 years to learn how to control it, I doubt I'd have such a good career, doing work I enjoy, and be able to travel from client-site to client site around the world.