panic attacks and major oral presentations
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Is it reasonable/acceptable for a middle-school English teacher to require an oral presentation that's nearly 25% of a quarter grade, and give a zero if the student can't perform the presentation due to a panic attack/severe anxiety attack? The student was otherwise ready - they wrote and memorized their remarks, made a costume, and got up in front of the class - and then froze. The student has one more chance to try the presentation again (with a late penalty), but it was implied that they will get a zero if it happens again. (There is a separate grade for the written remarks, that's worth barely half the oral presentation.)
The student does have a 504 for anxiety (and a clinical anxiety diagnosis for which they are medicated) but none of the current accommodations directly address this issue - because it hasn't come up before. The closest is "option to submit assignments via email" but that was not intended for this type of assignment. They also have Extended time 1.5x, which I could use to argue for more time to try again, but I'm not sure that would be enough. I asked the teacher about alternate methods to present - privately to the teacher, small group, via video recording, even suggesting we'd take reduced credit for that option - but the teacher ignored/didn't answer that question. I'm fairly sure that even with perfect grades the rest of the year (which is unlikely), it's not possible for the student to get a passing grade if this assignment gets a zero. |
Anonymous
| I would call a team meeting with the folks at the school to address the issue. Since you have a 504, you should ask them all to attend and figure out a solution. Teacher *should* be willing to find an alternative solution given the severity of the anxiety. |
Anonymous
|
I think they should be able to do it 1-1 with the teacher as an accommodation.
I will say though that I'm an incredibly anxious person who used to stutter in front of a class. The only way I've progressed past my performance anxiety was just to do it over and over and over again. It got better in time. Even the best public speakers still have performance anxiety, they're just better at masking it. |
Anonymous
| If you request an alternative that veers away from the original assignment then you are basically telling your child you don’t believe they can do it. I would ask for accommodations such as practicing in an empty classroom a couple times before the next due date. Then move to practicing in the classroom in front of the teacher a few times. Then try practicing in front of a lunch group that is in the classroom. Also use of note cards to get started with bullet points if they freeze in the middle. The teacher can have a copy of the note cards and reference a number if they freeze to prompt continuation. Just finding ways to get the kid out of the assignment, which it sounds like what you want, is counterproductive and potentially more harmful than productive. |
Anonymous
| I was a kid that hated that kind of thing. I would immediately ask for a meeting with the teacher and counselor. Why are they trying to add to a student’s mental health stress? This is ridiculous. |
Anonymous
Everyone hates this kind of thing in 8th grade. Hating it is not an excuse for not doing it. |
Anonymous
|
Kid should try again, as the teacher has requested.
Has the child given this presention to the mirror several times, then to you, then to whatever small group you can round up at home? Document how they prepared, and if the child freezes up again on the second attempt, contact the teacher/special ed team and show them your practice logs. |
Anonymous
|
I think you need an IEP for what you are asking for.
Also, you need to start working with a therapist that can help set up a plan to be able to work towards doing presentations. |
Anonymous
| I hated doing presentations as a kid. I mean HATED. But we all have to do things in life that we don’t like and are hard. Use this as a chance to overcome something, not make it a bigger thing. That is a big part of overcoming anxiety. |
Anonymous
I agree. You’re not asking for them not to do the work, just present differently. My kid did an oral presentation in 4th grade and a kid in her class has extreme anxiety. She was allowed to wear a face mask and her teacher walked up there with her. She got a standing ovation. |
Anonymous
Agreed. And I too have anxiety about public speaking. |
Anonymous
I don't think either one of you suffered from what OP is describing here. It's debilitating to the point of just not being able to do it at all. OP, contact the teacher and the school. Explain the situation and ask for a proper accommodation. Your child should not get a zero for this. |
Anonymous
| Teacher here. The bigger issue seems to be that the presentation is 25% of the grade for the quarter. Most kids get anxious about presenting. It is good to have oral presentations as part of a class but having one presentation carry so much weight does not seem like a good teaching practice for middle schoolers |
Anonymous
She tried one time. ONE! If you give up on a child that easily I just hope you aren’t a mother. |
Anonymous
|
As someone who has extreme anxiety about public speaking (and has given hundreds of public speeches and really, embarrassingly and detrimentally botched a few), the solution I use now is anxiety meditation prior to the speaking. It doesn't take away all the anxiety, but does take away most of the extreme symptoms.
Like I said, I have practiced so many times and tried lots of therapy. It’s only gotten worse for me. So I’d say, try again, with some further solutions in place. This may mean asking to present only in front of the teacher or adding an extra med. You do eventually have to find away around it in order to succeed in school and a career. Work now so this anxiety does not limit their success in those two areas. |