I'm scared to go to physics class today because of what happened yesterday..?

[stanciyf]

Yesterday we had a test, and I was prepared for it. I completed every problem on the practice test. I completed every homework problem. I understood all the concepts. I was also being asked during the study session at a friend's house how I did a certain problem on the practice test, so I also taught the material.

The day of the test, out of all the people to choose from the professor picks me to move to the front. Thanks a lot, you’ve just ruined everything for me.. I was in a safe spot, calm, and ready to take the test. Now I have to get up and move to the front of the class while everyone is looking around waiting to flip their test over to start.. I don’t know if I should take my backpack with me or not.. I’m already making a scene.. I feel awkward.. I just take my test, lead pencil, and calculator... I feel everyone’s eyes on me as they wait for the professor to give the go… I walk to the front, there is no chair there, I stand there awkwardly looking at the professor to see where he wants me.. he then hands me a chair. During the test I feel very angry, and I start to cry as I attempt the test, but I try my best to hide it. I pretend I have a cold, but there is too much mucus coming out of my nose. I’m running out of places to wipe my nose, my hands are all covered in mucus. I’m scared to ask to go to the restroom. Can everyone sitting behind me see me crying? I’m sitting right in front of the professor too. I look at him and see that he is looking at me. I freeze up.. he probably thinks I’m crying because the test is too hard or that my cheating partner is gone.. or maybe I fooled him and he does think I have a cold. I’m scared to turn the paper over to use as scratch paper even more now because I am sitting at the front (I feel everyone behind me is observing my thought process and actions… you have to read the long word problems and keep flipping back and forth back and forth to see if you’ve transcribed all the information to the back before you start.. also I’m scared people might see the mucus that accidently got onto the paper when I flip it over).. I’m frozen.. I no longer care for the test after I run out of room to work out the problems on the limited space provided on the front of the paper

I begin to tear up every time I think to myself, as I take the test..why did he pick me to move? There were only 3 people including me at our table, and every other table had 4 or 3 people. I was also far away from the two people sitting near me. Do I look like a cheater? How do you even cheat in physics when we have to show all our work? Is it because I sit next to this friend, and he thinks we are best friends, therefore we are more likely to cheat? I also begin to think that if I were at home in my comfortable clothes, with no one around, and all the scratch paper at my disposal to work out the problems where I can write as big as I want.. I would do well on this test… I get angry, I want to cause a scene and let him know how much I now hate what he has done.. does he have something against me? I feel like walking back to my backpack and pulling out scratch paper to use for the test (since he does not allow scratch paper.. that would be a nice f*** you to him).. I then remember my calculator has all the equations for this test in its memory (he gives us all the equations for the test anyway, but they are not written down in the way and with the notation how I remember them, there are also 2 extra equations for specific situations, even though I know how to derive them, and some conversion factors in my calculator’s memory).. I think about bringing them up as he walks around so if he considers that cheating I can be caught and taken to the dean so I can explain what he has done and how I hate the test taking environment he has created for me.. I just want out of there, I want the test to end.. everything was a waste of time leading up to this point.. all the work I did..

[gofraidh34]

It's likely that your professor moved you to the front because he knew you were going to do well on the test and thought the others at your table might cheat off you. But he couldn't say that during class because he would be saying the others are cheaters, and he would get in trouble. So he asked you to move without saying why, not realizing how it would make you feel to have to move.

I think if you went to him during office hours and told him how it made you feel to have to move your seat in front of the whole class, he would tell you how sorry he was that he did that. He would learn something about how it makes students feel to be told to move their seats without any warning or explanation.

Get up your nerve and talk to your professor. And maybe while you're at it, you might go to the counseling office at your school as ask if you can get some help with your shyness and social anxiety.

[gillivray5]

There are many ways you can go about explaining this to your professor about what happened, and him being more considerate of your problem in the future.

You can either ask to see him before class, with a good amount of time before it starts and explain to him about your anxiety. Now a days schools and public work places are very understanding and accepting of people with anxiety. Explain to him what you felt and how you couldn't concentrate. I guarantee he'll understand.

The second option is bringing in a doctor's note. Go to your general doctor and tell him your symptoms, ask him if he could write you a note that you are going through anxiety and you can't be put in those type of situations since your schooling is being affected. If you have a psychiatrist then you can ask for the note there.

Don't be afraid to speak about this, you will not only come out affected but you'll be put into these situations more often.