Don’t Let Anyone Change Who You Are
Hi, my name is Ronnie. I am 11 years old and I’m in the fifth grade. I have been stuttering my whole life.
ADVICE FROM RICHARD AND JACOB
Jacob and Richard say: “A lot of kids stutter. It’s OK when you stutter. Don’t let anybody pick on you. It’s not right for anyone to pick on you. Stick up for yourself if you can. If it doesn’t work, go to a teacher and use your belly breathing.”
Jacob says: “When I stutter I get very frustrated and mad but then I say to myself, “It’s not against the law to stutter.” And then I remember that I’m a cool kid. I also have a lot of friends who really like me and that’s what makes me a cool kid.”
Richard says: “When I get teased about my stutter I get mad and sad and I feel like I want to hurt the person who picked on me but I don’t because I’ll get in big trouble.”
Jacob and Richard say: “Use your strategies when you want to be fluent. If you don’t want to be fluent it’s OK because it’s just going to reflect you.”
Richard says: “I use my strategies all the time and that’s how you make your speech more fluent.”
Jacob says: “PS I’m psychic and I know if you practice your strategies with your speech teacher you will get better.”
Jacob and Richard say: “We’re just regular kids like you. We play football, basketball, baseball and also Jacob likes to wrestle.”
Your stuttering friends, Richard, 5th grade, and Jacob, 4th grade Wallingford, CT
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First I’d like to say that it’s ok to stutter. Everyone stutters, and no one is perfect. Everyone has something that makes them different.
Sometimes people ask questions when we stutter. It happens to me a lot, but they may not be trying to be mean. Some people are just curious and don’t know better. Something I’ve done is, me and my friends taught the whole school about stuttering. My speech teacher helped us to plan out lessons. Then, we got a group of people together, practiced our lessons, and each day for a week we went on the announcements to teach a new lesson to the school. Now, I still get some questions, but not as many and not as serious of questions. Plus, I know what to say.
Sometimes people ask questions just to be mean, but don’t let them make you scared to talk. You might get made fun of, but ignore their comments. Those people are not your friends. Remember the words of John Wooden, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” My mom always says, “Just wait until you’re older, and they see you succeed.” Then you’ll think back to their mean comments, and think that if you had let their words get in your head, you would never have gotten this job.
Don’t forget, just be you. Don’t let anyone change who you are.
Your friend,
Ronnie, 11 Plano, TX
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