It's a complex thing to fully understand. My guess on why you didn't stutter while reading out loud with your classmates is because the attention is not thoroughly on you, when you speak alone, everyone is listening and giving you attention which makes you anxious and more likely to stutter. I am not sure. I did stutter when participating, I was just less embarassed and more accepting of my stutter. My problem is that I can't read out loud at all, no matter how much I try to get the words out of my mouth, I just can't at all. I get blocked in the first word and I pretend that I didn't hear the teacher or that the person sitting behind me is the one who was asked to read. It's ridiculous lol. I avoid making eye contacts with teachers or sitting in the front so that they may not ask me to read. I thought speaking more in class would help me to reduce my stutter, but my stutter has been the same. Happy for you! What techniques do you use to hide or avoid a stutter? I also wonder if you stutter when speaking to your parents and close friends?