Remember the time when we didn’t have to do presentations in front of the class? Or do a bunch of required group projects? Or when we weren’t forced to talk to earn so-called “participation” points?

I bet you had to think a while back huh.

I was lucky and didn’t have many presentations from Kindergarten to sixth grade. Every once in a while, I would have to buck up and stand in front of the terrifying audience of my peers -- but once a year I could muster the courage.

Every day, however, I cannot.

The American school system has morphed into this learning place exclusively designed for extroverts. Our tables are put in groups so we can “Think, Pair, Share.” We have a certain amount of participation points we need each week to pass the class, presentations are once a week, and we are made to practice skills such as public speaking, as if each and every one of us is going to become a public speaker or a politician.

Now, extroverts may enjoy all this stimulation and talking, but what about the ones who work better by themselves? The ones who can be more on the shy side and find their stimulation by working independently, reading a good book, or by one-on-one? The ones who want to be writers, accountants, etc.? They have to suffer the presentations and required public speaking. Their grades suffer because they are forced to go into an environment they are not made for.

“Or at school you might have been prodded to come 'out of your shell'—that noxious expression which fails to appreciate that some animals naturally carry shelter everywhere they go, and that some humans are just the same.” - Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

There’s a girl, we'll call her Taylor. Taylor was a shy introvert who excelled in academics and loved to write. Public speaking was something that terrified her, it made her hands shake and heart beat heavy. With the urge of her teachers she decided to enter her Sophomore year in Honors English Literature. From what she was told, the honors class would help her solidify her writing and hone in her skills.

What they didn’t tell her is that she would have a Socratic Seminar every other week where she would have to speak at least three times or she would lose points. There would be presentations in groups, and by themselves, where they would have to present the information at hand with no notes allowed. Deep group conversations were held almost every day where a ball was tossed around and not only was there the stress of having to catch it, but answer in a sophisticated way that didn’t make her look stupid.

Taylor worked better on paper, where she could think through her thoughts and organize them. Just blurting things out when called on wasn’t her forte. Her brain didn’t work like that.

Therefore, five weeks into the class, Taylor had a huge meltdown at home, the day before a huge presentation where she was expected to memorize everything and present it to the class in an enthusiastic way, as well as a ten-minute time slot.

So, she dropped the class and went back to regular English. She didn’t get off easy with her peers however. “Why’d you switch? It was so easy, all you had to do was present?” A friend of Taylor’s retorted. She was an extrovert and loved that kind of stuff -- had the Type-A personality and a strong opinion. Of course she loved it. She couldn’t understand why Taylor dropped the class.

From that day forward, Taylor learned to never take advanced classes. She still had to present in the regular English, but only once a semester, and usually it was for group projects. She passed the class with a huge A, but she really shouldn’t have been in that class. It was too easy for her. The honors would have been perfect had it not been for all the extrovert activities that were required.

These days it seems that is the only reason we go to school for: to work in groups, work together, and talk in front of people -- which doesn’t work for everyone. For a country that promotes practicing different teaching skills for people who learn differently, it sure feels like it’s gaged towards one side: Extroverts. What about the smart and intelligent people who may not share their ideas out loud, but can work really frickin’ well and ace it?

And just think about how great Taylor’s writing skills would have gotten if that honors English class actually focused on … well … English.

Where do people get the idea that presenting and forcing kids to live through a nightmare improves their capability to think better?

In her New York Bestselling Book Quiet, Susan makes a great point regarding the topic:

“There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” ― Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

So why do schools make their students not want to go to school? School should be a fun and enjoyable place, not a building where students start to have a panic attack as they near graduation and want to skip school. You wouldn’t make a kid with a broken leg run the mile, so why make a person who is shy, or who has a social phobia, speak in front of the class?

Our society is slowly trying to drive out the introvertedness and make it an all extroverted nation. I’m not saying being extroverted is a bad thing, we need them. Who else is going to answer all the questions the teachers pose in class? Not the introverts, that I will tell you. What I am tired of is always being treated like my personality is something that should be “fixed.” I’m no actress, or motivational speaker, but I’m one darn good writer and can solve problems like nobody's business so don’t go telling me in a parent conference that “Well she’s great but … She needs to talk more/raise her hand/participate/work in a group/etc.” It’s who I am. And no public speaking class will change it.

P.S. That girl from the story.... Taylor. That girl was me.

“So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don't let others make you feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy depth, don't force yourself to seek breadth. If you prefer single-tasking to multi-tasking, stick to your guns. Being relatively unmoved by rewards gives you the incalculable power to go your own way.” ― Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking