Feeling stupid and uncomfortable in class

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I feel like my teacher must think I am a total idiot. Undoubtably, he can tell that I have some sort of problem, or at the very least, think's I'm a ditz, because I have been screwing up on the stupidest little things in his class.

It's an introduction to animation class. First he was giving us a demonstration on how to use the camera. He had each of us go up to the camera and try to use the focus, and while everyone else did the right thing, I completely screwed up.

Then, I was having trouble with my chair, and pushed it out of my cubicle, then changed my mind and immediately pulled it back in (eh.. decision making is not my forte ). After that, I failed to realize that I could adjust a problem I was having with an extremely simple solution, which my teacher had to point out to me. Then, I was having trouble with the light meter and the lights. He had to come assist me again. After all that was through, he specifically came over to me to make sure I was doing things right . I have been trying to redeem myself in my teacher's eyes, but it seems like whatever I say makes it worse. He is also a very difficult person to read, as he is quiet and seems to avoid looking at people in general.

I also feel awkward because my teacher's assistant is a guy I had in one of my classes last year that I think I may have put off with my poor social skills. At first, in that class, he tried to talk to me, but after a bit, he just sort of wandered over to another group of people. I'm afraid he still thinks I'm a jerk, because he does not really treat me in a friendly manner, despite my feeble attempts at being nice to him. I don't know how to behave around him, now.

Ugh.. I feel rather uncomfortable in this class .

I've had many situations like that where the first impression I give is less then favorable. People will generally think I have a far lower intellegence then I actually have. Hopefully you can do something brilliant that can impress this class later on.

The whole "You Only Get One Chance To Make A First Impression" doesn't really help folks with AS much. I've found if I can talk with people over a long period of time eventually they grow accustomed to me and realise I am an intelligent easygoing person. But at first everyone thinks I am weird.

I really dislike when people try explaining very simple things to me after I make a clumsy mistake. In my brain I will understand fully what I am supposed to do, but sometimes I'll just forget or make a minor error. But people will still come explain it to me in a condescending, and despite my best efforts they think I don't know what I am doing.

I know what you mean, Civet, that happens to me too especially in labs or classes that require practical skills. I wouldn't be able to understand simple directions, and I'd get things mixed up, or I was clumsy, or I just wouldn't know what to do and I'd have to look to see what everyone else was doing. It made one of my lab instructors a bit flustered and I don't think she thought I was very bright. At my part-time job the work is very hands on and I have trouble with that too, my managers don't think I'm very bright either, I can tell by the way they talk to me, it's very frustrating. I've also noticed that a lot of my teachers and TA's are not as friendly to me-I don't think they do it entirely on purpose, it's just that when we don't talk much or communicate nonverbally, people take it the wrong way and might get a little miffed. Sometimes it gets so difficult for me to be in a certain class or a lab or work that I am tempted to explain that I have AS, but I'm not officially diagnosed so, although they'd probably take my word for it, they might think I was lying. It would be really nice if they could understand me a little better though, especially since I've experienced this kind of thing my whole life and it gets a little frustrating. In some of these situations though, it gets better as the class goes on and I get used to what I'm doing. In my chem labs for instance, even though I made simple mistakes sometimes, I did so well on the lab write-ups that it made up for it, so I think that as time goes on you'll prove your talents and skills to the class and it won't be so bad

This happens to me very often. I try to visualize any kind of situations before I have to live them, and sometimes it helps. Still, many people talk to me as if I were mentally ret*d, maybe because I am very clumsy, I move and stand in a bizarre way, and because when I talk I sometimes stutter, or get messed up in my words or grammar, and most of all, when people speak to me my face gets awfully RED.

that all sounds horrible. i wish i was one of your teachers, or someone like me - i taught a new Year 6 class, yesterday and spotted two kids, one with AS and one autistic. the teaching assistant said no-one else had ever got much out of them before. i felt so proud. but then, i have a secret weapon...

PLEASE post something on the thread i started last october, about what teachers/lecturers can do to make things easier for people with AS (i think it's called "a ray of hope"). the replies i got are great, but i really would like as much info as possible, cos i'm sure i can't come up with everything on my own.

i can't say anything but: always always always

there are so many examples that i could give, that i can't even think of any right now.

I hate practicals. I would SO MUCH rather do theory.

I mess things up all the time, and feel like i'mthe only one having problems, ect.

I hope so. That is what happened in my photo class last year, so I am going to work hard to improve in this class, as well. I find that I am a slow learner, but once I get things, I get them well.



I feel the same way. I never understood the whole "first impression" thing, and still disagree with it completely. That's probably because my first impressions of people are almost always incredibly off.



Unfortunately, it's not quite the same for me. I just don't have any clue, I become oblivious to certain things. Often times, I will think I understand instructions, but when I go to follow them, I realize they either don't make sense to me or I am missing some essential information.



I hope so. In liberal arts classes I can usually make up for my poor class participation and mistakes in class with my writing skills, which most of my teachers commend me for quite a bit. This class is new to me, though, so I will just have to try my best.



Yes, I do that all the time, too, Fiddler. I get quite nervous and confused if I can't visualize it beforehand, though, and I think that's the problem I'm having right now, since this is an intro class, and I've never used the equipment or done this type of work before.



I wish I had a teacher like you, vetivert! I usually do all right in classes, since I am academically intelligent and I work hard. But the actual in class work/participation is where I suffer.

What grade level do you teach? What subject?

I did post a little bit in your thread, for the most part I agreed with what others had said. If I think of anything else, I will certaintly post it there.