# Humiliated by a University lecturer?



## longgreymare (Mar 7, 2017)

So I have struggled with SA throughout my whole uni experience, so much so that I am currently repeating my second year as I was too anxious to even step foot into uni. I'm still struggling and it's seminars which are a nightmare for me (at our uni, seminars involve around 10+ people and you are expected to discuss the texts studied).

My anxiety seems to reach its height during these seminars. I sit the whole time in a state of near panic, if I'm asked to speak my head goes into a huge jumble, I can't get my words out, and my sentences trail off. 

So today I was asked by my seminar leader (who is also my lecturer) to make a point about the book. I tried to make a point but it ended up coming out as a big jumble of words. My seminar leader then kept saying What do you mean? I don't understand your point? and I kept on trying to express myself but couldn't... by this point my voice was shaking and I eventually just stopped talking as nothing would come out. I mentioned something about 'the writer' and he said the writer? Do you even know his name? He then said Have you even read the book? To which I managed to reply yes I've read it. He then said make another point from the book because that didn't make sense. I couldn't speak so just sat in silence for 30 seconds. He then said maybe if you had bothered to turn up on time you would understand what was going on (I was 5 minutes late as I missed my bus). I just sat on the verge of tears for the rest of the session. 

I don't know if I'm being overly sensitive but he could obviously tell that I was in a state of distress and he kept on pushing me (his tone was quite condescending throughout the whole thing). I feel like he was trying to humiliate me in front of everyone and it has completely knocked my confidence. I felt nervous enough in these groups as it was but now I know everyone has seen me look like an idiot, and I don't know if I can ever turn up again. :/ 

I guess I'm asking - was he out of order to push me this way, or am I being overly sensitive? How would you address the situation from now on if this happened to you - I know I need to keep going to the seminars in order to fight my anxiety but this has really knocked me back. 

Thank you so much for reading


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

longgreymare said:


> My anxiety seems to reach its height during these seminars. I sit the whole time in a state of near panic, if I'm asked to speak my head goes into a huge jumble, I can't get my words out, and my sentences trail off.


Yep, and most people don't understand that it's just severe anxiety. A lot of people will think you're really stupid if you can't express yourself clearly and confidently.

You might want to talk to your professor and tell him your problem caused by anxiety, but then you run the risk of him not understanding and making things worse for you.

The only solution is practice. Practice public speaking -- first by yourself and then in a group. Practice several times a week, every week. Eventually, it will be no big deal.

I used to hate when everyone would turn around to look at me when I spoke in class. If you sit right in the front row, that doesn't happen. It's also more like you're just speaking one-to-one with the professor because you can block out the other students.

Good luck!


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## AngelRose (Mar 10, 2017)

*This used to happen a lot to me too, and I would be triggered and literally cry in class. So, when I was in HS they offered accommodations for social anxiety, and in the community college I am in they classify severe anxiety as an emotional disability. You have to go through a process to fill the stuff out but you get accommodations. I did not know this though until recently. Maybe check to see if they have that at your university? It could prevent a lot of this from happening.

Good luck *


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## BlackRedFoxx (Feb 26, 2017)

Ive been in a very similar experience and it's one of the most cruel move a lecture can do to a student in front of a class.

I once had a presentation where I was supposed to demonstrate a tool in Maya. I follow my given task by the lecturer and pretty much passed my goal, until the lecture started to purposely ask me to present other tools I wasn't even suppose to study. He humiliated me in front of class cruelly turning the scene into a laugher fest and adding offensive comments about me being an international student.

A real piece of **** that really shouldn't be teaching to begin with.

I hated that I was forced to sit through his classes for 5 hours.


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## acidicwithpanic (May 14, 2014)

I've run into a few professors that have brought me into a separate room just to talk about how I wasn't doing enough in the lab or group work projects. In these cases, I try not to take most of them personally because it's usually due to their weak understanding of social anxiety. At the beginning of each term, I always mention my social anxiety and depression problems, so they can cut me some slack. It also helps to register as a disabled student so you can have access to certain accommodations and to provide some proof of your conditions like an above user just stated.


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## ScorchedEarth (Jul 12, 2014)

That is just inexcusable for anyone, let alone someone who's being paid to approach these matters professionally.


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