Popcorn

A while back I came across a website that described a typical school day for someone with a speech impediment. I can't remember what site it was, but they made point that even a simple game of popcorn can be torture.

Before I go any further, I'm tell you about popcorn in case I'm not using its proper name. When I was in high school, we played a game every once in awhile where we'd use a passage from the text book and take turns reading it. We'd either go in a straight line down the rows or else the last person to read would be able to pick who would read next.

Anyway, the site told a story of how such a "game" puts people with speech disorders in a very uncomfortable position. People tend to read ahead instead of reading along so that when it's their turn they'll have a head start. Maybe they won't sound so silly if they do so. By doing that they lose any comprehension of what is being read, along with becoming a bundle of nerves.

I can't even begin to fathom how many times that happened to me. I remember once in my 12th grade AP English class when we were playing. Just like that website said, I did read ahead. I had no idea what the hell I was reading, but I practically studied every word on the rest of the page. Every time someone other than me was called I felt relieved, but I instantly got nervous again. What if I was next? So I would reread the next paragraph again.

I feel sorry for anyone else having to experience that. It really was torture, albeit one that didn't leave any physical scars. Although I think that oral communication skills are important for students to learn, I think to much emphasis is placed on forcing students to read aloud. From experience, I've realized that many of the students don't pay attention, other students get nervous, and when a student does make a mistake they get teased. I was reading a question in biology once when I thought I was about to sneeze, so I paused for a second, right in front of the word "Darwin". Everyone thought I couldn't understand that word. I didn't live that down for awhile.