Panic! or I Hate Speech Class

Wow, it's been awhile since I've updated this one.

Well, it's finals week and there is just something on my mind tonight...and it has been on my mind ever since Monday.
First of all, to my speech professor: I am not an actor...please, please, please don't expect my monologue to be any good...considering you know...this is an English department class.
Second of all, to all and any actors, or anyone for that matter reading this...how do you do it?
I have a hard time coming to terms with working on things that don't really have a tangible final product, which makes working on this monologue assignment make me feel like I'm just screwing around when I could be doing actual work (aka my giant drafting package that's due Wed.) instead of standing in front of a mirror, trying to memorize a 5 minute monologue that I'm probably going to bomb because 1) it's been 3 years since I was forced to take an acting class and 2) I wasn't any good at it to begin with and passed said acting class with a C.
Acting class usually made me want to cry...or throw up....or both. So did my oral communications class in high school and this oral communications class 5 years later is no different, but just appears to be the high school class and acting class combined into one 3 hour hell once a week.

So please forgive me if I have a hard time working on this because I won't have a final anything really to turn in or put in my portfolio, and I'm just going to recite this on Monday morning to get it over with and never (hopefully and with any luck) have to do it again. But I will say this...to all actors: I respect you and what you do. Because I certainly can't do it without feeling like I'm going to panic.

Believe me, please. I've been trying to overcome this whole "stage fright" thing for years and it just doesn't go away no matter how my presentations I give, or speeches I give, or monologues I perform. I think I'm pretty much doomed to shake uncontrollably during any presentations, interviews, etc..for the rest of time.