December 18

Debating Your Classmates

Describe your greatest apprehension (fear) about debating your classmates. Why do you think you really have this fear? Do you think you feel any differently than do your peers? Why do you think some of our fears are not rational, meaning, based on our real experiences?

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Posted December 18, 2012 by tashak38 in category Uncategorized

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I live in the San Francisco Bay Area--Big Up to the East Bay

66 thoughts on “Debating Your Classmates

  1. DaJohn Wade

    My biggest fear is explaining my position, but not making it understandable. I tend to understand what I read, write, or speak, but occasionally others may not. Looking out into the crowd and seeing faces resembling question marks will stir up my nervous emotions. I have this fear because of experience. There have been plenty of situations where I have had to say, “wait, I meant.” I’m sure my peers feel more confident that I do which puts them at an advantage, but I still have faith in myself. I believe some of our fears are not rational because we have society that puts images and messages in our mind. If we have a lot of influences on our opinions about certain topics or aspects in life, how can we shape our own ?

    Reply
  2. Dennise Vazquez

    Dennise Vazquez
    Period 2
    My greatest fear about debating my classmates is going up to the podium and having a brain fart in front of the whole class . I think I have this fear because like it happened to me once and I was embarrassed, not only that but once I’m embarrassed i can’t think straight or come up with things right in the spot. another reason why I fear debating my classmates is because when you debate with someone you debate as a group and I don’t want to let anyone down or be the reason why my side loses. Some of our fears are not rational because a lot of the things we fear are based on things that we have heard from others.

    Reply
  3. Maria Fajardo

    Maria F.
    AP Eng.11
    12/19/2012

    My biggest fear about debating against my classes is going up and doing it infront of the class and having everyone staring at you. I dont care if i lose i just hate going up infront of a group of people. Its akward because you just feel everyones eyes on you. Others dont really care in going up but i do, im afraid that i will forget what to say and just space out.

    Reply
  4. David M.

    David M.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    12/19/12
    I hate having speak in front of a crowd, but mostly for debates. I don’t really know why, but for everything else I do I am calm. However, Debates are always so complicated for me. I think too much and I can’t say whats written down or what comes to mind. I really hate doing it. Then again, my old debates were rather unpleasant to begin with. This was probably due to the fact that I will be in a classroom with the same students next year. However, I don’t see that becoming a problem here in this debate. I hope I will do well and if I don’t I hope this doesn’t destroy my grade.

    Reply
  5. Desiree N.

    Desiree N.

    Ms. Keeble

    AP English 11

    18 December 2012

    My biggest fear about debating against my classmates is stumbling over words and sounding unprepared or forgetting what to say. Even when I have note cards prepared, when I am nervous, I can’t process what my cards say. I should be used to public speaking by now, but unfortunately, I still get nervous and start rambling. I am pretty sure other classmates feel the same way about public speaking, no one wants to make a fool of themselves or be judged. I think my fears are not rational because in reality, most people are going to accidently stutter or forget what to say, it happens and people will forget five minutes later.

    Reply
  6. Diana Larios

    Diana Larios
    AP English 11
    Period: 1
    Keeble
    18 December 2012

    As a child I was always taught not to be afraid when speaking to a group or simply one person. But I asked myself why I would even be afraid? Eventually when the time came where I had to speak to a small group when I was taking to a small group about a religious subject at our church I was immediately attacked by those who did not agree with my statements. Being only 10 years old I believe that it was hard for me after the matter to speak to a larger crowd for the reason being that I was afraid of being wrong but going beyond that being judged by other is what builds my fear even more. I am also afraid to forget everything that I had planned to say, then having everyone stare at me only add to all the pressure. I know that it all might sound silly but I believe it is not easy to overcome and my classmates might feel the same way but not for the same reasons. Everyone will have different reasons based on their lives experiences.

    Reply
  7. Hannah R.

    Hannah Reddy
    Ms. Keeble
    AP Englsih 11, Period 2
    18 December 2012

    My greatest fear is not about losing, I honestly could care less about if we were to win or lose, as long I knew we tried our best. My greatest fear is, however, public speaking. When I think of my peers now, I think of them all as equal, like we are all on one straight horizontal line. But when the time comes for me to stand up and talk, that straight line transforms and becomes a parabola (mother function) with me as the lowest point. When I stand up I go confident, but when I realize everyone is looking and actually paying attention, it is almost like a wake-up call saying that I absolutely must be perfect. This then somehow reaches to my nerves and I begin to stutter, use filler words, or completely don’t make sense. I understand that my peers may feel the same way, but I feel they are able to hide it better. They are slicker about it.
    I believe some fears are irrational because others have instilled them in us. Someone may never want to ride a roller coaster because someone else told them a story of how someone died because they fell off. We see everyday things around us, that may happen normally (like a car accident), and we can subconsciously take them in and somehow twist it to scare our own selves. Another reason I believe why some fears are irrational is because we are just plain out lazy. We make ourselves feel like we are afraid of something until we really are, so we can get out of doing that task. For example, one may argue that driving is scary and you can get into car accidents and die. But in reality, that person just wanted someone else to do the work. Another classic example is the Disney movie Wall-E. The people on the space ship were afraid to live on Earth for a long time because they thought it wasn’t fit. What they should have done was gone and takes a risk. But no they/we were/are too lazy to take risks so we scare ourselves into thinking it is bad when it isn’t.

    Reply
  8. Joelynn D.

    Joelynn D.

    Ms. Keeble

    AP English – 2nd period

    18 December 2012

    For the upcoming debate my biggest fear is not being able to clearly and coherently present my argument. There are times when I cannot find the right words to convey my thoughts and the essence of what I am saying becomes misinterpreted or my argument becomes weakened. I think I have this fear because I have had a few experiences where other people’s perception of my thoughts do not actually match up with my thoughts. It has definitely led to misinterpretation before, so I fear that my peers may no fully understand my arguments and that I am not debating to my full potential. I think that I do feel differently from my peers because I do not really fear having to speak up in front of my peers but, instead, I fear that my arguments will not be conveyed as strongly as I would like them to be and will not impact my audience as I would hope. I think that some fears are irrational because fear is only in people’s minds and is an emotion brought forth from insecurities and knowing oneself’s personal weaknesses. Of course that does not necessarily mean fears are easy to ignore because there are so many standards and expectations to meet making it hard not to have any fears.

    Reply
  9. Ryan C.

    My greatest fear of debating against my classmates is embarrassing myself in someway like using a bad argument for example. I think I have this fear is because I’ll be known for my mistake. I think a lot of other people feel the same way. I think we fear of worse case scenario and that makes it not rational because we don’t know what to expect.

    Reply
  10. Dominique

    Dominique
    AP English 11
    Per 2
    12/18/12

    My greatest fear about debating my classmates is freezing up and not knowing how to respond to my opponent. I also fear that I will not know how to phrase my words and they won’t come out, so I end up embarassing myself. I know that I feel very low about and not confident in myself at all, but I feel as if some of my peers feel the same way. I know that we all have the mindset of putting ourselves down, but in reality we are not all that bad and are a lot better than what we give ourselves credit for. I think that some of our fears are not based on our real experiences because it is human nature to panic about something and have the lowest worst thoughts in our minds. I think that we will all do fine, but for myself I do not feel that way at all right now.

    Reply
  11. Angel M

    Angel M
    1 Period
    Ms.Keeble

    My greatest apprehension with debting my fellow classmates is getting mixed up with words. I feel like i’m built up on excitement and being nervous. I rarley get the chance to speak in front of people in this kind of way which is why I seem to feel this way towards speaking out with the classs. Knowing my class well gives me an edge on speaking because I ain’t as nervous. In my opinion I think I get nervous or scared is because people who listen to you somtimes put you down and I dislike being put down.

    Reply
  12. Elvia Lopez

    Elvia L.
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English
    18 December 2012

    Although I have debated once, my fears of standing in front of a podium are quite immense. I dislike speaking in front of a class or crowd because I get scared of stumbling through my words. Not only am I scared to lose, but I am afraid of not knowing what to say after someone from our opponent side speaks. While my words are being said, I feel inferior towards my peers because I know that others have a bigger potential of speaking in front of everyone than me. Debating my classmates will be tough, but we have support from many and for whichever reason if someone messes up including myself, having in mind that no ones perfect will help. I think that many of my peers feel the same way although there might be some of our classmates who feel stronger and confident rather than others. I think that some of our fears are not rational because we all have different thoughts and although we express them in many ways we still seem confused on how we could work on fighting those fears. In other words, we know our fears, we are just scared to overcome them.

    Reply
  13. Abraham N.

    Abraham N.
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English 11
    18 December 2012
    Period 5

    My main fear about debating in front of the class is that I might mess up on a certain fact, or that I will forget what to say in front of everyone and I freeze up and stall. This feeling angers me because it makes me feel like everyone is judging my intelligence off of a debate, and I probably have this fear because of a previous debate that happened when I was younger. I believe that if a certain event that has happened to you affected you in a negative way, you try to shun it from memory, thus creating a fear of that certain event.

    Reply
  14. Trhas B

    Trhas Bairu
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11 Per 5
    12/18/12

    Although I’ve had to present in front of crowds practically a lot I still seem to have problems with it at times. It’s not even because I’m shy or being put on the spot, it’s because the discouragement I get from myself. I’ll go over what ever I have to say a million times, but as soon as it’s my turn for some reason all the time I forget,freeze up, and and finish without saying everything I intended to say. I know a lot of my peers have the same problem as I do or even for other personal reasons, but I know some of my peers have no problem with public speaking.

    Reply
  15. Canyon R.

    Canyon Riley
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11, Period 2
    18 December 2012
    One fear that I have about debating my classmates is saying a fallacy and not realizing it until I sit down. I want to set the bar high enough so that my opponents will doubt themselves. But if I say too many points that can be countered easily like a generalization, my opponents will relish it. I don’t want my team to play catch up throughout the debate. As long as I have confidence in what I say, I can focus on my opponent’s fears rather than my own.

    Reply
  16. Heather H.

    Heather H.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP Lang. & Composition- Per. 2
    18 December 2012
    The upcoming debate harbors mixed feelings with me. On one hand, I adore conceptual arguing and being right. However, my ability to debate relies on my ability to talk in front of a number of people. I realize that many students struggle with general anxiety regarding public speaking, but my reactions tend to far surpass those of my peers. The physical and emotional disturbances that go along with even the suggestion of a possible class presentation are often debilitating for me. The social anxiety that I have causes sweating, increased heart rate, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, and shakiness. My mind simultaneously numbs and races a mile a minute. I also feel the need to run and escape from the situation. Sometimes I can rationalize with myself and realize the absurdity of my reactions. Other times, I cannot. If I am comfortable with the location and people, it is less likely that I will reach this level of anxiety. Still, my greatest fear would be having an uncontrollable panic attack.

    Reply
  17. Yarelli Lopez

    Yarelli Lopez
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Language & Composition
    18 December 2012

    My greatest fear is knowing exactly what to say but forgetting everything once it is my turn to speak. From past debates, it has happened to me, and I just stand there behind the podium with a blank mind. It really messes me up because it doesn’t let me be clear with the points I want to prove. Also sometimes a certain comment might hurt someone’s feelings and I don’t want to say something that could end up bringing people into a complicated argument or fight. Overall, I am still working on having the right ideas in my head and not forgetting them as soon as I have all the attention of my peers.

    Reply
  18. Oscar G.

    Oscar G.
    Period 1
    My biggest fear for tomorrow’s debate is not to be able to pronounce words correctly. I think I have this fear because of stage fright. As silly as it sounds I have little problems with reading out loud to the class, now imagine how I am going to feel in a debate. I do not think I am the only person with stage fright, I believe there are many other people that are in the same situation as me. I believe some fears are based on something that has not happened before, because we might be scared to try new things, or scared of failing at something. But it is when we try new things that we become a better person, by testing to see who we really are.

    Reply
  19. Brittany-Ann D.

    Brittany-Ann V. Dela Cruz
    Keeble
    AP English
    19 December 2012

    Being insecure is my biggest apprehension when debating my classmates. I do not believe I am good enough to exceed the expectations my peers or teacher have for me. Knowing my work is not at the same level as my peers; I cannot help but feel self-conscious. It is impossible to compete against the best when I am nowhere near basic.
    My fear is very different than my peers. I believe my peers fear being unprepared and public speaking. Most of our fears are not rational because they have already defeated our hopes to overcome them.

    Reply
  20. Caitlin H.

    Caitlin Huie
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Per 2
    18 December 2012

    My greatest fear in debating my classmates is the thought of arguing in front of them. I’ve never been a talkative student and I hated public speaking ever since I was little. In fifth grade, I had a really bad experience while doing an oral presentation and that caused me to be a little resistant to public speaking. Fortunately, for this debate I’m only the researcher so I don’t have to argue in front of everybody. I feel that all of my classmates are somehow scared of arguing in front of their classmates. They don’t want to mess up and embarrass themselves in front of everyone. Some of our fears are irrational because our minds over think situations. We always think of the worst circumstances and our minds make us think that real life is going to result in the same way.

    Reply
  21. Gonzalo Haro

    Gonzalo Haro

    My fear is that the opposing team will have better constructed arguments than mine. I would hate being proven wrong, because that’s just how I’ve always been. I’m also afraid that the opposing team will have an argument that is 10x better than ours. Also, I’m afraid that I’ll end up completely forgetting about points I intended to make because of nervousness. I’ve experienced nervousness and public defeat before, and those experiences made me feel really bad. I think that my peers feel a lot like I do. I know for a fact that I’m not the only one that dislikes losing publicly. My fears are rational because they’re not unheard of. Nervousness, and fear of defeat are both very common emotions.

    Reply
  22. David D.

    David Delgado
    Ms. Keeble
    Period 2
    AP English
    18 December 2012

    I have a fear but it is not like the others. I have debated before against my peers, but my freshman year was horrible. I remember a time when kept repeating the same words over and over again “Just think about it.” I was a fool and a clown back then everyone who saw me in that debate freshman year now makes giggles and laughs about, but this isn’t my true fear. I got over it though, and compared to my wilderness trip I did the summer that just passed; this debate doesn’t seem to make me that nervous. I had to survive in the wilderness for about a month without technology, fast food, family etc. I lived off of dry foods and water and hiked many miles with a 70 pound backpack, at times I had to lead my group towards our next destination along with the help of my supervisor. If I was able to accomplish this I’m pretty sure I can do this debate. I do admit though at times when I talk in front of a crowd I do get a little nervous and shaky but I can hold my ground. What I fear about debating my peers is that if there is someone on the opposing side that knows my weakness or can shut me down and make me look like a fool. That is my fear.

    Reply
  23. Brenda C.

    Brenda C.
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English
    18 December 2012

    Although I’ve experienced speaking in front of my peers before, I still get nervous all the time. The feeling of “fear” doesn’t let me say everything I planned to say beforehand, it also makes me forget some of the really important main points of my presentation/debate. When im debating i feel as if everyone is watching me, critiquing what I am saying, it makes me feel so uncomfortable. Another thing I fear is lacking information to back up what I am saying. I don’t like lacking knowledge about what I am arguing, because that really is a huge part of feeling “fear.”

    Reply
  24. Alexis L.

    Alexis L.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    12/18/12
    My is fear is choking infront of my classmates and then them laughing at me. Just by thinking about it makes me worried for tomorrow. I know that my classmates won’t because they understand that it is difficult to go infront of an audience, big or small, and speak. I just hope it really doesn’t happen tomorrow.

    Reply
  25. Alexia G.

    My biggest fear for tomorrow’s debate against my classmates is stuttering or mispronunciation. I strongly believe if someone decides to speak on a subject, they should know how to pronounce each word correctly. That would make their argument actually credible and you would have more chances of someone agreeing with you. This is most likely an ordinary fear for any public speaker. My fear seems to be rational because it happens when you rush through a presentation-which is only apart of human nature.

    Reply
  26. Angela Reid

    Angela Reid
    Period 1
    Ms. Keeble
    AP. English

    My fear would have to be the fact of messing up. If I stutter or forget what to say I will be so upset. I’m not really worried about going up to the podium and speaking but if i forget what to say I will just start laughing then start turning red. But I mean I like doing things where we stand in front of the class and say stuff! I’m ready for tomorrow! =)

    Reply
  27. Sarai P.

    Sarai P.
    AP English
    Keeble
    18 December 2012

    With these debates, I really do not fear being in the hot seat defending my personal belief, nor going up against very intellectual opponents; I would have to say, that my greatest fear be my inability to fully trust my teammates and their ability to pull through. I am, for lack of a better word, a perfectionist that has high expectations for others, and expects nothing less. I feel that I have this fear, because I am a VERY detail oriented person who does not like to see her team, group, etc. fail due to the lack of attention to a certain detail. I have this fear, because whenever I work in a group with others, it always seems that I have to take the lead because no one is self started or motivated enough to snap into action, thereby having me cover everything. In this circumstance, this fear should not exist, everyone is trying there hardest to come up with information that will help guide our team to victory, yet the fear still remains.

    Reply
  28. Phuong-My N.

    Phuong-My N.
    Keeble
    AP English, Per. 2
    18 December 2012

    My greatest apprehension about debating my classmates is that I will forget everything that I have just tried to remember. Debating is similar to taking a test because you have to memorize many details about a subject. And I am horrible at test-taking, by the way. I freak out minutes before I start the test and my palms get all sweaty, my face turns red, etc. Same with public speaking. I think I have this fear because I have never really had to speak in front of an audience by myself, I am usually with a partner or a group. Also, I am not an out-going type of person. I do believe my peers feel the same way as I do, but some are more confident in themselves than others when it comes to speaking in front of an audience. I think some of our fears are not rational because the fear we have is within ourselves. The more we doubt our abilities, the more we will grow nervous and pressured.

    Reply
  29. Kiana Ledda

    Kiana Ledda
    Keeble
    AP English, Period 5
    18, December 2012
    Speaking in front of a a crowd, regardless of size, always has me shaken up because I lack confidence. I am a perfectionist when it comes to presenting, and if I don’t feel like I am ready to present to an audience, then I tend to choke very badly. I stutter my words, I forget what I have to say, and I feel like a failure. I absolutely hate looking ridiculous or amateurish in front of anybody. I feel that some of my peers have similar feelings as me when speaking in front of a large crowd. Some people just have a skill of being comfortable and confident in front people. We tend to over think things in front of crowds because of our own insecurities.

    Reply
  30. Adiam H

    Adiam Habtay

    Ms.Keeble

    Period 5

    My greatest apprehension is debating in front of my follow classmate and not having a syllogism that connects to my major and minor premise. I tend to over think sometimes,and choke up on my words. I am afraid that my opponent will “smash” on me,and I may not have a correct response to “smash” back.This fear creeps up on me only when I am debating and I forget my argument. Other than that, I do not mind talking in front of my classmates, because I know most of us share the same thoughts about public speaking. Some of our fears are not rational, because we over think,which can be the death of us.

    Reply
  31. Jashleen Singh

    Jashleen Singh
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11 Per 2
    12/18/12

    My greatest fear in debating my classmates is losing. I have always been a sore loser, and despise feeling as if I’m not good enough. Also, I’m scared of not being able to argue to my full potential from being under pressure. I have done many presentations and public speaking in the past, however, I have never been in a debate. This frightens me, because I’m scared this may cause my to stutter, black out, or not do my best. I believe my fears are rational, because it is usual for someone, especially me, to feel uneasy or nervous about trying something new. It is somewhat comforting that this will be my some of my peers first debate as well, it takes a lot of weight off my shoulders and makes this experience less stressful, since we’re all going through it together.

    Reply
  32. Amacalli Duran

    Amacalli Duran
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English

    When I was a child, I learned that fear implied being weak-minded. That being said, I do not fear public speaking and more specifically, the debate among my peers. My apprehensions do not come forth based on the material I have to discuss or even the size of the crowd; instead, my fear is exposed when I doubt my abilities. My fear is that I am not adequate enough to fulfill the standards of others. This fear was formed through many life experiences where I was challenged and did not meet-up to the standard I was held to. My peers may also feel the same way; however, I think the majority of my peers fear the focus and attention placed onto them. My fear is completely irrational as is any fear, and although I acknowledge the foolishness of my fear, it is not simple to overcome. The reason my fear is irrational is because I only reflect and critique myself when I do not aspire to fulfill a standard, as opposed to when I over-excel beyond a standard. Most fears are not rational because they are viewed in a bias and negative perspective.

    Reply
  33. Veronica V

    Veronica
    Dec. 18, 2012
    1st period

    My biggest fear about having to debate my peers is getting mixed up with my ideas and becoming embarrassed if I mess up. I tend to get nervous before I actually go up to present something since I never really liked presenting to a really big group. If I’m with a a group of friends I wouldn’t feel as pressured since I would be more comfortable. I also dislike having all eyes on me because sometimes I can’t get my point across the way I would of wanted to. I think these fears tend to come up because I really haven’t been comfortable with presenting in front of a big crowd since I don’t do it often. I think many others have some of the problems I face when it comes to presenting in front of a class since none of us are perfect speakers/debaters. Also, some might be shy and feel uncomfortable with having to go up and speak in front of the class since they think others would judge them.

    Reply
  34. Jonathan v

    Jonathan V
    Ms. Keeble
    19 December 2012
    period 1

    One great fear that I have while debating in front of my classmates is stumbling on words or not even making any sense. I think that this fear arose when I was afraid to speak in front of a big crowd and the big chance that i blew because I did not make sense at all. I also think it started when we had to debate in my Puente English class about a topic the teacher gave us, in my opinion I did not know a lot about he topic therefore i just rambled and babbled on. I think that many of the fears that we see we think that we are going to experience if we are in the same position. In my own perspective I have grown confident and know that I can do a great job.

    Reply
  35. Efrain E

    Efrain E.
    Period 1
    AP English

    My greatest fear is going up to that podium and completely forgetting my argument. I think I have this fear because that is exactly what happened at a debate I was in last year. I doubt that I am the only one with this fear. It seems like a very rational fear to have for these debates, considering that our grades will be impacted by how well we argue.

    Reply
  36. Zoey Madsen

    One of the biggest fears I have with speaking in front of a lot of people is not making any sense or coming of unclear. I do my best to get a distinct point across but other times I feel like I’m rambling, or can’t find the words to make my point. Also, I do get a little nervous as well. I feel like everybody’s processing what I’m saying so I’m super self conscious about what comes out of my mouth and what doesn’t. Although I have some fears of my own, I’m confident in my team and I know that each one of us will do our best to argue the point we were given.

    Reply
  37. Haley R.

    Haley R.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English per 2
    18 December 2012
    Although there is a part of me that enjoys speaking in front of my peers, I find debating slightly intimidating. I love to argue with people, but I am always scared of loosing the argument; this is not rational at all. I should look at loosing as a learning experience because most of the things being argued are educated and not random thoughts. Some statements may be opinions as well as assumptions, but those can change someones mind very easily. When someone tells me that I am wrong, I feel very embarrassed because I didn’t have all of my facts, therefore my face turns bright red and I start to get angry; I have no intentions of letting these fears get to me during our debate.

    Reply
  38. Destiny Bets

    Destiny
    Dec. 18. 2012
    Period 5
    Ap English

    Although I have experienced talking and presenting in front of classes before, I still get nervous at that moment when you hear that,”You’re next!” I think this is because I fear of overthinking and/or not saying what I intedned to say. I also fear messing up and being pressured to say what the audience wants to hear. Another thing that is also added on my plate is my Piano Recital which just makes the debate even more nervewrecking, but as soon as i am done presenting, i feel accomplished. (:

    Reply
  39. Ross H.

    Ross H
    Keeble
    Apeng Period 2
    18 December 2012

    I fear that what I say will not be heard and it will not impact the students. I have a very big ego, and losing this debate will be a blow to my ego. I don’t want that to happen, I also feel that if I lose I will be letting down my team. I think that this fear is irrational. My ego is not a real thing it is something that can not be really hurt. I just need to get over that fear, but once i get to the podium I will be fine. I will most likely turn that fear into passion and help my team win the debate. I feel like that with this topic most people have the same feelings as me.

    Reply
  40. Valeria Diaz

    Valeria Diaz
    Period 5
    My greatest fear of debating my classmates is for me to forget what i’m suppose to say. I get nervous infront of people and in the end I freez and mess up really bad. This happened to me last year in one of our debates. I completely blanked out and ended up sitting back down. last thursday, i had to preform infront of my guitar class on stage to show them what I have. I was so nervouse i ended up doing really bad than what i can actually do. I know my peers are nervous but others can control it and i cant. they say that they are nervous but in the end no one can notice it. i know that people can notice how nervous i get because i dont have the power to hide how nervous i get. sadly…

    Reply
  41. Johanna G.

    Johanna G.
    Keeble
    AP English, Per. 2
    18 December 2012

    Even though I have presented in front of classes several times, I still always have that nervous feeling right before I go up and speak. My greatest fear is having to speak to the crowd. I get very anxious once I’m in front of anyone, especially if I have to talk to a big group. Because I know that everyone’s eyes are on me, I begin to feel pressured and I over think situations. I do believe that my peers feel the same as I do, but I also think that others have greater confidence and feel calm when speaking in front of a crowd.

    Reply
  42. Jasmine J

    AP Eng 11
    Keeble
    18 December 2012

    My biggest fear about debating my peers is stuttering while I speak and not doing as well as I expected myself to do. I think the fear I have is common between me & my classmates. I believe some of our fears are irrational because we tend to think the worst of situations. People, in my age group especially, tend to be pessimistic therefore creating fears that aren’t necessarily rational.

    Reply
  43. Alicia O.

    Alicia Oseguera
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    18 December 2012

    One of my greatest fear about debating with my classmates is the fact that I do not want my peers to get offended with what I would have to say. The fear that I have is that people might get offended and take it seriously leading them to not want to talk to me again. I think I have this fear because when in a debate the person debating has to do anything to be able to win the debate so in many cases you can say stuff that you never meant. I think that many of my peers feel the same way because nobody wishes for our classmates to take things seriously and offend them. This is why my peers always take conscience of what they are going to say because of the fear to offend others with their words. Even though our fears may seem rational they are not because a fear grows from the mind that is just thinking that stuff is going to happen. It never happened to you in real experience but your mind just thinks about it too much making you believe it is going to happen.

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  44. Raymond P.

    Raymond P.
    Ms. Keeble
    18 December 2012

    My biggest fear about debating in front of my classmates is stumbling over my words more than I already do. I feel that some of my peers are nervous to, but I am not really sure because everybody acts differently. My fear is not rational because I presented multiple of times, but i still have that fear of messing up when i talk or look dumb up in front of the class.

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  45. Harrison Nguyen

    A great fear I have of debating classmates or in front of classmates is choking up and forgetting what to say. I have this fear because I always forget things when presenting in class and when I go up to present I look dumb. I don’t think most of my peers have this problem because when I see them debate in class they have strong valid points.

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  46. Rebekah N.

    Rebekah Novak
    Ms. Keeble
    A.P. English
    18 October 2012

    Although I have presented and proposed many idea’s in front of a crowd, the thought of failing scares me the most. It is not the amount of people watching that hinders my abilities to debate, nor is it whom my opponent is, rather it be my emotional fear that I will fail. Many factors contribute to these apprehensions such as recent failures I’d rather not repeat, or a belief that I am not good enough, smart enough, or intellectual/articulate enough to successfully win an argument.

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  47. Alicia Gonzales

    Alicia Gonzales
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    19 December 2012

    When I think about debating my classmates, I really just worry about not knowing how to respond to something that they have to say. I think that this comes from me not feeling completely confident in my knowledge of my topic, or maybe even insecurities of myself.
    For example, if I’m shy, it could cause me to not speak strongly or express everything that I have to say. If I have experienced situations where I messed up in a presentation or didn’t perform my best, that could be something that causes me to be worried about this debate and future presentations or assignments that I have to do.

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  48. jessica arbitman

    Jessica A
    Ms. Keeble
    AP Lang. & Composition, Per 5
    18 December 2012
    My greatest fear about debating my classmates is choking under pressure, because I am not a well-spoken public speaker. Perhaps some of my peers have the same feelings as I do, but I’m sure others feel more confident. Some fears are not rational, because there are individuals who over exaggerate and think to themselves, “oh, they won’t like me.”

    Reply
  49. Natasha R

    Natasha R.
    Keeble
    AP English
    18 December 2012

    Since I have done debating before, the biggest fears for me is actually not being able to answer the question and/or freezing up. I Believe I have these fears because I’m still not acustomed to speaking in front of a public, even though I’ve do It for a while. I’m pretty sure that others have the same feeling of being judged and making themselves look ridiculous. Sometimes we have thoughts in our minds that aren’t based on actual events because we are scared of the reactions from others.

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  50. Rachel N.

    Rachel N.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Language & Composition
    19 December 2012

    Debating my classmates on topics that have an immense impact on all of our lives can cause much distress and worry to circulate within me. It is very easy to worry that people will look down on us in abhorrence or that we will not do well presenting our points. I can be scared that I won’t come across as concise and clear while articulating my conclusion. If that happens I am afraid people will think negative thoughts about me and not respect me. I really think I possess this fear because my greatest desire is to feel accepted and love. Of course if there is a chance I don’t get that I will grow to be anxious and hope for the best. I do not think I feel any different from my peers. We are all human and all crave the same thing. Some of our fears are not rational because our minds play tricks on us. We think the worst and let our minds get out of control, losing grip on reality. It reveals how real our desires are and how much we will do anything to feel accepted.

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