“Stop forcing students to present in front of the class and give them a choice not to,” wrote Twitter user leen, who notes in an online bio she is 15 years old. The tweet sparked a debate on in-class presentations and anxiety, and has so far garnered over 130,000 retweets and 400,000 likes.
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| |-- leen (@softedhearts) September 8, 2018
The tweets included screenshots of messages from other students who said they get anxiety about in-class presentations. One screenshot said, “Whenever we had a presentation coming up I would get no sleep the night before. I would be shaking the entire day. Eventually I just stopped going to school when we had them.”
for everyone who’s been telling me that anxiety isn’t an excuse for not doing something just bc u don’t want to, here’s a few examples of the dms i’ve been receiving after i tweeted the original tweet.obviously people go through this shit all the time and these are only a few ppl pic.twitter.com/eQyz0MzrSm
-- leen (@softedhearts) September 9, 2018
here’s another story i thought i’d share from one of my followers. it’s such an inspiration and to everyone who’s been giving me backlash for my original tweet, take the time to read this and stop being so ignorant on the subject of anxiety. thanks again for your support ily :) pic.twitter.com/qaXqjyr9Ll
-- leen (@softedhearts) September 9, 2018
The post also received plenty of criticism from users who argued that in-class presentations are simply a part of school, and necessary practice for life post-graduation. Others said that the only way to overcome such anxiety is through exposure.
you all need to stop thinking not having obligation is healthy. public speaking, whether it’s stressful or not, is necessary in life when you get a job. so what you’re just never gonna speak in public? how are you gonna handle staff meeting, present work projects, etc.
-- h. (@marieflows) September 8, 2018
Why?
If you did this, most would never face their fear of public speaking and their anxiety when their JOB / CAREER requires them to do so will be 1000 times worse.
This is not a good idea. Sorry.
Your heart is in the right place but this would do a major disservice to all.
-- BRETZKY KRAVTZKY (@BretzkyBretzky) September 9, 2018
I get what you’re saying but I still disagree. As somebody who struggles with both diagnosed social and generalized anxiety I have found that public speaking is something that can be overcome. It’s all about practice. That speech, presentation, project? Memorize it. Practice it
-- Jaeger (@vajaegs) September 10, 2018
Oral communication is one of the most prioritized workplace skills, found a recent survey by the Association of American Colleges & Universities. Eighty percent of company executives and 90 percent of hiring managers said that it is a very important skill for recent college graduates looking for jobs.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 32 percent of adolescents ages 13-18 have had any anxiety disorder in their life. Of those, an estimated 8.3 percent have had severe impairment as a result.
NIMH’s definition of any anxiety disorder includes panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and separation anxiety disorder.