My name is Aditya Nair, I am 11 years old and I have been taking PlanetSpark public speaking and spoken English classes for around 6 months now. Before joining these classes, speaking in English in front of people was honestly very uncomfortable for me. I knew the answers in school sometimes, but when teacher asked me to explain it loudly, I used to get nervous and my voice became very low.

My parents started searching for online communication skills classes for kids, and that’s how they found PlanetSpark. At first I didn’t really want to join because I thought it will be like another boring tuition. But my mom said we will just try it for some time.

The first few classes were a little awkward for me. The teacher asked me to introduce myself and speak about my favorite hobby. I knew what to say in my head but speaking it properly was difficult. I also remember making many small grammar mistakes while talking. But the teacher didn’t stop me in between too much, which I actually liked. She allowed me to finish and then corrected things slowly.

There were some problems also in the beginning. One time I couldn’t login because the OTP was not coming for some reason, so the class started late. I got a little irritated that day because I was already ready for class. Another time my teacher changed after a few weeks. I was already comfortable with the first teacher, so I didn’t like the change in the beginning. It felt like starting again.

But the new teacher tried to understand my level first before giving difficult activities. Slowly the classes became more interesting. We did storytelling, opinion speaking, and sometimes debate type activities where I had to explain why I agree or disagree with something. At first I used to speak only two or three sentences. Now sometimes I speak much more without thinking too much.

One thing I noticed is that these PlanetSpark communication classes are not just about grammar. They make you think and speak. Sometimes the teacher asks random questions like “If you could invent something new what would it be?” At first I didn’t know what to say but later I started enjoying it.

The biggest change actually happened in school. During a group presentation in class, my teacher asked who wants to present the first slide. Normally I would stay quiet but this time I raised my hand. My voice was still little shaky but I completed the explanation. My friends were actually surprised.

I won’t say everything about PlanetSpark is perfect. Sometimes timing changes or technical issues happen, which can be annoying. And some activities feel difficult when you don’t know what to say. But overall I feel these classes helped me become less scared of speaking.

Earlier I used to avoid talking in front of people. Now I try at least. I still make mistakes sometimes while speaking English, but I am not afraid of them like before. And I think that is the biggest improvement for me.