Stuttering Will Not Crush My Dreams Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay

Today is the day of the oral report. Everyone in class has already made their presentation, so I no longer have an excuse for not sharing my material. I slowly raise my hand after the teacher asks if anyone else needs to do the oral. As I scoot the chair back to stand up, my ears begin to turn red hot. My uneasiness only gets worse when I sluggishly walk down the aisle towards the awaiting podium and start sweating on my hands and forehead. As I look up from the podium, I am startled by the forty pairs of unwavering eyes glaring at me, awaiting to be engrossed by my brilliance. I find myself having difficulty breathing, almost as if I have forgotten how to. I wipe the sweat off my brow, grab my index cards tightly, and open my mouth to speak. But the words just will not come out as I hit a stuttering block. Those same forty pairs of eyes are gazing at me in wonderment. I avoid their scowls by looking down at my index cards, held by my excessively sweaty hands. The class is remarkably silent, waiting for me to continue. I hastily glance upwards to discover forty increasingly impatient people. Nervously, I attempt to speak again, but again I block. I make a stronger effort to try to spit the words out, only to stutter. While many are able to relate to the distress involved in public speaking, issues faced by a person who stutters are unique. Anxiety of a stuttering block extends beyond the typical public speaking into the everyday world of phone conversations and ordering fast food. The anxiety I get during either of the two situations is tremendous. For example, if I am preparing to place a phone call or am waiting in line to order fast food, anxiety builds as I wonder whether I will stutter. This affects my decision-ma... ...e my fear of speaking, and, in addition, I became more social and outgoing. Ever since I took journalism, I have realized I do not have to hide the fact that I have a speech impediment. Contrarily, I have learned that I feel more comfortable with my audience, especially in a classroom situation, if I let the cat out of the bag before I spoke. By advertising my stuttering, I no longer feel as if I am running away or trying to hide my problems, and I find that my listeners tend to be more sympathetic to my disability. I have learned that self-acceptance has pushed me a long way in my struggle to discover who I am. No one is perfect, and everyone must realize their short-comings. But these must not get in the way of your goals in life. You must confront these obstacles head-on, learn to accept them, and to build from your broadened understanding of yourself.