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From: Terry Dartnall
Date: 10/16/03
Time: 3:29:22 AM
Remote Name: 132.234.9.165
Hi Melinda
You say, “It amazes me how one can live with this overt stuttering and others may never know.” I am not an overt stammerer. I’m a covert stammerer. I don’t overtly stammer much at all. Instead, as I say in the paper, I’m ducking and weaving and word-avoiding like crazy, most of the time. But not all of the time. Even that varies as well, depending on who I’m with, how tired I am, etc.
“How does it impact your teaching career--you had mentioned that lecturing and teaching is what you love and you are fluent in.”
As I say in paper (hint, hint … it’s there in the paper :-) ), my covertness shows itself in my teaching. I have no trouble with lecturing. I’m good at it. But put me in a small class that meets on a regular basis… then it’s probably a different story. I’m much less confident under these circumstances. If I have to pronounce words that I find difficult, then I’m in the following situation: I’m in a class with students who I’ve confidently lectured in both first and second year lectures … and now I’m probably going to stammer in front of them. That’s the covert stammerer’s nightmare, I think. So what do I do? I have no moral choice. I have to go ahead and do the best I can. Sometimes it’s OK and sometimes it’s not – and there’s no telling in advance what’s going to happen!
Terry