Mallory, I have a few
thoughts to share with you. No, you are not alone ! Since humans began to
speak, there have been people who stuttered. The ancient Egyptians even had a
hieroglyphic for it, and people down thru the centuries have been wondering
about it and concocting remedies for it. Today, in the USA alone, it's
estimated there are about 3 million people who stutter.
I can relate to your
experiences with speech therapy. When I was your age, I didn't think it helped
much either. Before you give up on it, please check out what's available to
you. You have an option I didn't have, the new fluency devices. They are not a
fix-all by any means, but they can help a lot.
Stuttering is not the worst
thing that could happen to you, but it will present some challenges in your
life, should you decide to opt out of trying to change your speech. You
mentioned one of them, high school. Some of your peers are gonna judge you
harshly. Image to them counts for nearly everything. But, I believe you'll find
friends who will accept you. Always remember, Life is about more than your
speech, and you are more than your speech.
From Jonathan