Last week Hopkins High School ninth grader Lincoln Radel, speech language pathologist Tim McCarren and Glen Lake parent Nick Swedlund shared a presentation with Glen Lake third graders about stuttering. The presentation was meant to increase the students’ understanding of verbal differences and help them recognize how they can be supportive to peers who communicate differently.
“I wanted to help students who stutter feel welcome and comfortable any way I could because I know what it feels like to get teased for having a stutter,” Radel said. “I also wanted to inform students how they can help someone who stutters.”
One of the best ways to help is to listen. When a person stutters, it can be tempting to finish their sentence, but Radel encouraged students to be patient, let the speaker finish and listen to what they have to say.
McCarren is also a person who stutters and as a speech therapist, he specializes in stuttering. He shared that stuttering is not something that can be fixed, nor does it need to be fixed. The goal of speech therapy is to help someone stutter easier and ensure the joy of spontaneous communication is not lost.
“The ultimate goal is to speak the words in your heart freely and openly, stutters and all. There is music in our voices, and we are so lucky to hear it,” McCarren said.
The third grade classes were engaged throughout the presentation and demonstrated empathy and understanding in their follow up questions. It was a great opportunity for them to learn more about stuttering and how they can create an environment where everyone feels comfortable communicating.