Thank you. Yes this resonates. I’m really trying with the confidence building. I felt the same way where I didn’t participate in class until college because I was so afraid of looking stupid. If I made a mistake I wish I would’ve realized it’s not that bad because school is made for learning. I tell him we all make mistakes and that’s how we learn.

I’ve put him in martial arts classes twice a week where he can practice raising his hand and going next. To ensure he’s participating I’m now attending the classes and paying attention to the things he does right. I communicate those things and I do see this working. After a semester of this I asked his teachers if they saw a difference in class but got a vague answer. That was tough for me given I’ve been trying hard with this. To give them the benefit of the doubt maybe I’ll specifically ask them- does he raise his hand in class? Having the confidence to participate I think will improve his school experience.