How I Advocated for
Myself... Or How to Make Jeopardy Work for You
by Ashlee Walsh
My name is Ashlee Walsh and I did a presentation on stuttering
my English class. I really thought that it was a good idea because
most people have no clue what stuttering really is. I also thought
that, eventually, the class would notice something was different
by the way I talked, so I thought that it would be more comfortable
if I told them myself and educated them a little as well.
At first, I felt really confident about the idea, but as time
went on I started to doubt myself and think that I was crazy.
I started to loose confidence, but I had my friends to encourage
me because they knew how much it really meant to me. On the day
of the presentation I didn't feel nervous because I had friends
and teachers that are very supportive. My Mom and my younger brother
Michael, who also stutters, were my biggest supporters during
all my research and the presentation.
For my presentation, I did a seven slide PowerPoint. The
slides were: My Name, Introduction, Myths, Facts, Famous People,
Organizations, and a Jeopardy Game Introduction. After the PowerPoint,
I made a Jeopardy Game with questions that would make the presentation
interactive. The categories were: Myths, Facts, Famous People,
Organizations, If You Stuttered, and Miscellaneous.
The "If You Stuttered" category was the most important
to have in the presentation because it had questions like, "What
would you do if you stuttered and someone made fun of you?" "If
you stuttered, would you still participate in class?"
After my presentation, many of my classmates came up to me and
said: "Ashlee, that was great, but I never knew that you
stuttered. You should do the presentation again sometime." They
also said things like: "Ashlee, you have a lot of courage." When
they came up to me, it made me feel good, and I knew they really
enjoyed it.
Now, I feel I have the strength and courage to do anything I
want to do. Ever since my presentation, I can participate in class
and not be that nervous, and, if I get stuck, the class will wait
and no one will finish my sentences or words. The presentation
was a great idea and I don't regret doing it at all. It was a
lot of work, but it was worth it!!!
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