| I think the above posters are a bit harsh. If the student has a 4.0, he or she apparently comes to classes prepared. They also indicated they have been doing well in the written portion of the class. The issue seems to be more the student's confidence in public speaking.
I was once in a very-discussion based class, and there were two very shy, but extremely intelligent, students in the class. The prof didn't make exceptions, necessarily, but tried to facilitate the student's participation and give them a little help. For example, the prof would direct a specific question directly to the quiet student, so that the student would be able to participate before the rest of the loudmouths started talking.
It can't hurt to express your concern to the prof. If you are mature and humble about it, he may try to help you out, or give you advice for improving your participation. Also, it would be more proactive to approach him instead of emailing. |