worrying what your classmates think..

hey everyone,
I'm very new here.
just wondering how do some of you deal with being called on in class?
I am so worried about being called on and not knowing an answer, that i cannot pay attention for the entire period.
If i do get called on, my heart immediately starts racing and my voice comes out quiet and shaky. If the attention is focused on me for more than a few seconds i have a panic attack then feel like horrible the rest of the day, so shaky and can't concentrate.
does anyone else get this extreme fear in class? and how do you deal with it?

I suppose you're talking about grade school. I noticed that calling randomly on people was one of the ways teachers tried to scare students into paying more attention in class. Most people would find themselves in an uncomfortable situation if they were called upon unprepared, and the teachers know that.

This usually wasn't the case in higher level classes (Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate) as the students were more driven to learn and pay attention. The higher level courses are supposed to emulate college classes, classes where the professors don't waste time picking on random people as a means of getting the class to pay attention. If a student has a question, they raise their hand. If not, the lecture continues.

Anomaly said:

The higher level courses are supposed to emulate college classes, classes where the professors don't waste time picking on random people as a means of getting the class to pay attention. If a student has a question, they raise their hand. If not, the lecture continues.

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lol I happened to be lucky enough to hav had a prof who loved to pick on random people and humiliate them. yay. The fact that I tend to space out during lectures doesn't help either lol.

I think that some college profs know how much power they have and freely abuses it... It's their teaching style, they say.

The problem for me is not worrying about what my classmates think specifically. the problem is that I worry about what EVERYBODY thinks of me. I'm easily intimidated by people who I perceive as better than me and I'm always trying to impress them. There are people out there, who doesn't give a **** about what others think. I don't know how they manage it.

Grade School, College. Its all the same to me, whenever I get called on. I have multiple ways of presenting myself, but all my thoughts tangles up and I messed up, resulting in gibberish. Then I go into a deep depression and social retreat.

ratemyprofessor.com ftw, nobody got called on randomly in Calc I, Calc II, Bio I, Chem I, Chem II, Intro to Ethics, and Intro to Psych. In fact, if nobody has their hand up (which is usually what happens), the lecture continues without stopping.