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Substitute Teaching About two months ago, I started working as a substitute teacher at an elementary school. My stutter is moderate, but can get pretty severe and I also have social anxiety disorder. Since working with children, I've realized my social anxiety nearly goes away around them. However, I get laughed at nearly every day and some of the older children, particularly in 5th grade, mock me for having a stutter and make fun of me, sometimes right in front of my face. Being a substitute is tough as it is because generally students don't take you seriously. I'm also really short and look young for my age. Kids say I look like a teen or even a kid, even though I'm 30. I like substituting (for the most part) and want to pursue teaching as a career. But getting mocked and disrespected just for having a stutter still hurts. I've told two friends about this (who don't stutter) and they think I'm just being easily offended, not strong enough, getting upset over "small stuff", etc. I only contact them through text, so they don't know how bad my stutter is. They act like having a stutter has zero impact on a person and our struggles are just our imaginations. They really make me feel weak. I don't have any friends who stutter, so I never get a fellow stutterer's perspective on things.