Starting the Conversation with Your Teacher
Starting a new school year often means meeting new teachers and letting them know that you stutter. To make that a bit easier, we’ve put together a sample email you can use to introduce yourself (or your child who stutters). This is just a starting point, and we hope you’ll edit it so it sounds like you and reflects your own (or your child’s) experiences with stuttering. Add details, change the wording, or leave things out. Whatever makes it feel right for you!
Personalize this template to help your teacher understand & support you:
Hi ___________ [Teacher’s Name],
My name is ___________ [Your Name], and I’m in your _________ [Grade/Class Name]. I want to let you know that I stutter, so I may take longer to say what I want to say. That’s just part of how I talk. I stutter in all kinds of situations and with all kinds of people, so I’m pretty good at it.
Sometimes I feel __________ about stuttering and other times I feel ________ about it. But one thing that doesn’t change is that I have friends who stutter, too, so I know I’m not alone. Do you have any friends who stutter?
Here are some things I want you to know about stuttering:
- Millions and millions of people from all over the world stutter, and people have been stuttering for thousands of years! That shows me that stuttering is part of being human.
- Stuttering comes and goes. It isn’t the same every day. That’s called the variability of stuttering.
- Sometimes trying hard not to stutter leads to more stuttering. That’s called the paradox of stuttering.
Here are some things I want you to know about me:
- I think it’s okay to stutter. What matters to me is that I say what I want to say.
- Giving me time to speak without being rushed or interrupted will help me talk more comfortably.
- I’d like to be treated the same no matter what kind of stuttering day I’m having. I may be stuttering a lot or a little, and I want to be listened to just the same.
- When I want to participate, I will let you know by ___________
- Here’s how I feel about reading out loud in front of my classmates: __________
- One thing I feel nervous about is _________
- One thing you can do to support me is ____________
- Things I want to be encouraged to do are ____________
Thanks for taking the time to read this email! Talking to you about stuttering helps me feel understood and more excited to learn. My parents and I are happy to talk more about stuttering and what’s helpful, so please reply with any questions you have for us!
You can also reach out to Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. They support young people like me and parents, speech therapists, and teachers. Write to them anytime at friends@friendswhostutter.org.
Your student,
_______________ [Your Name]