It Doesn’t Hold Me Back
Hello, my name is Blaize and I am 12 and in 7th grade and I stutter. I have been stuttering since I was about fi ve years old, and it can be frus- trating at times. The ways that stuttering can be frustrating is when people don’t know that I stutter and just cut off my sentences. Most of the time, when I do stutter, I tend to have a block and get stuck on a word. More recently though, I have been having repetitions on words that start with the letters D, P, and B. Even though I have been stuttering for 7 years now, I don’t let this hold me back. I have accomplished many things that make me stand out from the group. I am a 7th in 8th
grader
grade math and have also won many math related competitions in a game called Math 24. One tough thing about Math 24 is that you have to call out answers really quickly which can be diffi cult for someone who stutters. In my 2 years of doing Math 24, I have won 2 county titles and placed silver twice in the state fi nals (top 16 in Pennsylvania). I also consider myself a “mathlete” since I have been playing basketball for as long as I have been stuttering. I have made several all-star teams, and also my 7th
grade team for
Northley. Basketball is sort of a thing that cheers me up when I get down about stuttering. So, even though I do stutter, I accept it.
Blaize, 12, from Aston, PA My Stut e ing is a Piece of Me My name is Heather and I am from Covington, Washington. I’m in the 6th grade, going to
middle school next year. I like to watch YouTube, play phone games, and dance. I am part of a cheer squad. Also, I stutter. It’s one of the interesting things about me! I’ve been stuttering since I was 3 years old and it seems like I haven’t stopped. Sometimes it goes away for a while and then it comes back. Sometimes it feels like my throat is tight. I am feeling very nervous about 7th
grade because I’m scared to stutter in a new place with new people.
I made a PowerPoint for my class and presented it to teach them about my stutter. I included fun facts and myths about stuttering and I showed them a video about Ed Sheeran’s experience with stuttering. They gave me the thumbs up and now I’m more comfortable in class. I decided I want to participate in the talent show at our school. I will sing Lost Boy by Ruth B. on a stage by myself. If I get nervous I will smile and calm down by looking at my mom.
Here’s my advice: Never give up! Everybody has things that make life harder but don’t let it stop you from being yourself and doing what you want to do.
Heather, 6th Grade, from Covington, WA 19
by Justin, 8 Greeley, CO
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