学进去

Years of living with a lisp (口齿不清) had taught me it was better not to say anything than to speak and risk embarrassment. As a result of my ______, I felt distanced from most of my peers (同龄人). “Kathy? Oh, she’s quiet.” That’s what most people would say when they ____ me, as if “Quiet” were part of my ____. I was okay with that. I didn’t need to be ____.

Last September, however, that all ____. I started my creative writing class with Ms. Haist. Every day we would be given a different writing task and, if we wished, we could ____ what we had written. I ____ listening to others read their work and thinking: “That will never be me. I’ll never have the ____ to do that.”

One day, I was really ____ with what I had written and wanted to share. My heart was beating wildly as I raised my hand. Those ____ little voices were ringing in my ear, “You have a lisp, remember? ____, your writing isn’t that good. Be quiet.” I was about to ____ my hand when I met Ms. Haist’s encouraging eyes.

I swallowed the voices down and let my real voice ___. I could hear it ___as I read, and I could hear every stutter (结巴) and mistake. I finished reading, waiting to be laughed at. ____, I heard claps from the class and praise from Ms. Haist.

The next day, I did it ____. Soon I was reading out loud nearly every day. Gradually, I realized that ____ my lisp, the class and the teacher always appreciated my writing. Now I may still not be the most ____, social person, but I’ve become better at oral presentations. I ____ read my poetry out loud at a reading club.

Every time those little voices try to tell me to be quiet, I think of all the encouragement I received in class and I know that I ____ to be heard.