# should I tell my teachers about my SA?



## mrswolstenholme (Nov 26, 2011)

Has anyone of you done that? How did you do it? Did your situation improve or did you regret it?

I'm thinking about telling my teachers about my SA, because it seems they think I'm just lazy, which I'm not! But I'm afraid I will get way more attention by them and I hate getting attention. I wish I could be invisible in class...


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## afraid2goinpublic (Nov 8, 2011)

*School*

What about talking to your school's counselor? And then seeing if she/he recommends you tell your teachers or not....then the teachers can talk to the counselor and work on ways to make it easier for you at school, but to not make a big deal of it in the classroom so the other kids wont know about it. I know when I went to parent teacher sessions for my son I always prefered that they not make a big deal of his issues in front of other children,cause lets face it, other kids can be cruel. 
Hope that helped ya, and good luck!!



mrswolstenholme said:


> Has anyone of you done that? How did you do it? Did your situation improve or did you regret it?
> 
> I'm thinking about telling my teachers about my SA, because it seems they think I'm just lazy, which I'm not! But I'm afraid I will get way more attention by them and I hate getting attention. I wish I could be invisible in class...


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## Gorillaz (Jul 13, 2010)

Maybe you could talk about this with your guidance councillor ? If you suffer from SA you can be exempt from presentations/do them solely infront of the teacher.etc. When this happened at my old school, the councillor would just send a note to each teacher telling them of your special conditions. It's kind of an indirect way to tell your teachers and avoid confrontation with them. They may just be alot more understanding without shining you with attention.
At my school there was someone responsible for IEPs/Mental health so if theres someone like that at your school they could help you out.

I don't really think telling someone at school could really worsen the situation, so if its really bothering you go for it!


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I like to introduce myself to the professors at the very beginning of each course and briefly explain my situation and what it could mean to them. At my current university you have to email them and the disability centre emails them as well to confirm you're not lying. I've never regretted telling them. It only looks suspicious if you wait until you're in a pickle in which case you could easily be making up excuses to get out of a tough spot - profs see a lot of it and unfortunately the innocent suffer.


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## rsh56 (Nov 24, 2011)

Last week in my job seminar class my seminar professor (who is really nice) handed us some flash cards to write down what we should discuss that currently bothers us. W/o writing my name I wrote "social anxiety". When she shared the cards and got to social anxiety, she talked about how her oldest daughter (who is a senior in college) was anxious in meeting people and so forth. Afterwards we discussed about me having it and I asked her how her daughter coped with it. She did tell me that her daughter kept herself busy and there is no reason to look down on the future. I told her how much I want to start my career in IT and move on from the pressures of being a teen. It was a good discussion and I hope to talk to her more often about it.


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## IllusionOfHappiness (Sep 6, 2007)

I finally did, last semester of High School. I don't see myself graduating otherwise. It really helped to get it off my chest that I wasn't just lazy or weird or anything like that - I was struggling with so much of it because of untreated anxiety. Most of my teachers were understanding.


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## CoolUnderFire (Oct 11, 2011)

I personally wouldn't do it.

I feel like it's an admission of weakness. I've considered emailing the prof and saying I'm too nervous to present (I once had to present in front of 100 people). But then that would be giving up. If other people can do it, I can do.


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## complex (Apr 22, 2009)

Best thing I ever did was sit down with every teacher I have ever had since I was diagnosed and discuss it with them it makes it so much easier and they will treat you way better in the long run! It might not be fun to do but it is worth it!


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## Phibes (Mar 8, 2009)

I recently had a chat with the undergraduate convenor at my university who happens to run a subject next year that has an element of public speaking involved which I'm worried about. 
I had a chat with him and asked if there was any way that I could do an alternative piece of assessment and he said that something could probably be organised, for sure.

I didn't tell him I have SA per se but I was talking to him about my future career path and I said, 'I'd really love to be a clinical psychology one day but I'm just not that good around people'. We got a chatting and long story short, he was very understanding.

But ultimately, even in research psychology, one must still give presentations in front of others which can be even worse I imagine than chatting to clients because the people in the audience might not all be in support of one's research and so debates could ensue, I suppose, so I'm screwed either way haha   ^_^

Luckily for me, all the convenors I've come across in my studies have been really lovely. I think some of that comes from being involved in the discipline itself - the good vibes rub off on everyone involved hehe  No, I'm sure it's not always the case but I've been lucky. 

The short of it is that I say go for it  But perhaps do it in such a way that they're aware that you aren't pleading for sympathy or anything like that, but rather, just a bit of consideration.

I remember last semester a friend of mine who deals with epilepsy let the tutor know about some problems associated with that which no doubt helped her situation. 

Go for it I say!


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## Joe (May 18, 2010)

You will get extra support if you do, make sure to say keep it between you and the teachers since people who work in the office/ at the libary seem to talk about peoples problems casually when bored with nothing else to say. (When someone who has issues came in the libary and walked out they started talking about what he's like.) But some teachers talk about it when walking through corridors which is annoying as hell. Ive not actually said ive got Sa either but some teachers can pick up on it and give me support because of it. (keeping me more involved and offering extra support.)


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## michiganfan10 (Nov 29, 2011)

Absolutely do it. I sent an email at the beginning of the semester to my prof. explaining how I become really nervous when talking in class, and she was extremely understanding. She hasn't called on me once afterwards.


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## cat001 (Nov 1, 2010)

At uni the isolation got me depressed and I was urged to see the uni cousellor by my dyslexia supporter. The cousellor informed my tutors for me of my anxiety issues (with my permission off course) which helped alleviate some problems such as tutors making sure I'm not left out of group work and them being more understanding when my assingments suffer a bit. I've personally not regretted it at all.


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## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

I've told some teachers in the past. In HS, I was so quiet that when I told my teachers about my problem, they had no problem believing that it was serious & that I was telling the truth. One teacher in particular was understanding. In class we had to write a personal essay about our ideal futures & we would go around in a large circle & read our papers allowed. I told him that I couldn't do it. I actually started having a panic attack in front of him. I told him that I had to step outside because my vision was going tunnel vision. So - yeah... he didn't make me do it or anything else for that matter.

Also - in HS we had to do a "graduation project" which is a huge presentation that had to be 45 min, & you had to do it to graduate. Of course - my classmates were the most obnoxious kids you could choose to put together. I was having so many panic attacks. I was seeing a therapist then & she wrote a letter to my teacher so that I was able to just do it in front of my teacher instead of the class.

The last time I told someone was in my college Speech class. I was taking Xanax for all the speeches until the very last one which I decided I'd try without anything. I ended up being super nervous & messed up a lot. I told my teacher afterwards about my predicament & that I had been using drugs the whole time except for this time. I think he was proud that I tried without the drugs, because he gave me an A on the speech.

In short - it's useful to tell your professors.


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## WhipSkipWaddlyDoo (Dec 1, 2011)

I know exactly how you feel. I have had professors in the past that tend to randomly call on students. One was a class of roughly 260 and it seemed even when I would hide in the back of the lecture hall he would always manage to find me. I visited his office hours, explained my predicament, let him know that I suffer from SA and he was quite understanding. He left me alone for the remainder of the semester. Shoot her/him an email or talk with your teacher after class.


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