Diary of a Gen Z Student: Why does presenting in front of a class feel like being hunted for sport?

Maybe it’s a relic of colonialism that so many of us have a pathological aversion to authority

Jane Cowan: 'Now, I’m in my final few weeks, and I’ve (thankfully) given my final university presentation. It wasn’t as tragic as some of my earlier presentations, but I was glad to be rid of it all the same.'

When I first came to college and was introduced to actual class participation, I was not impressed. I had gone through most of secondary school with an attitude of avoiding participation at all costs.

If I thought the teacher was scanning the room, ready to call on someone, I would suddenly need to go to the bathroom, make intense eye contact with the floor, or take an absurdly long sip of water.