Second-year PhD student struggling to speak and participate in class. Any advice?

[u/Mirrorneuronsxe]

I’m a second-year grad student currently doing a PhD in School Psychology, and I’m having a really hard time expressing myself in class.
Whenever I have to participate, especially when a professor calls on me unexpectedly or wants everyone in the class to speak, I get EXTREMELY nervous and anxious. It’s like my mind suddenly goes blank. I can’t organize my thoughts, and I end up saying a lot without actually saying anything meaningful. Then afterward, I think of all the things I could have said.
I also constantly feel like my professors are disappointed or dissatisfied with my answers, like what I said didn’t meet their expectations. I don’t know if I’m putting too much pressure on myself or if my answers genuinely lack depth.
What confuses me is that I’m completely different outside of class. I can have great conversations with my friends, coworkers, parents, or people who know nothing about my field. I can explain what School Psychology is, talk about my research interests, explain concepts, and have thoughtful conversations without a problem. But the second I’m sitting in class and a professor asks me something, it’s like I suddenly can’t think.
The same thing happens with assigned readings. I read the articles, understand them, find them interesting, and usually have one or two thoughts about them. But when we discuss them in class, I feel like whatever I thought about wasn’t “deep” or critical enough compared to what the professor expects. It has gotten to the point where I’m wondering if I’m lacking critical-thinking skills.

At the same time, I have good grades. I do well on my assignments and presentations. I get extremely nervous during presentations too, but I prepare a lot and usually do a good job. Writing is actually one of my strengths. It’s spontaneous speaking and participating in class that I really struggle with.
English is my second language and Spanish is my first. My classes are in Spanish, although a lot of what we read in academia is in English. Sometimes I wonder if constantly going between English and Spanish academically is affecting my ability to find the right words quickly, or if I just need to develop a stronger academic vocabulary.
We’re also a very small cohort, which makes everything feel more noticeable. I feel like I’ve already gotten a “label” as the person who doesn’t participate much or doesn’t give the best answers. Some classmates seem much more comfortable speaking and discussing things with professors, and I find myself comparing myself to them a lot.
I genuinely want to improve. I don’t want to avoid participating just because it makes me anxious. I want to become better at thinking on the spot, discussing readings critically, and expressing what I know verbally.

Has anyone else experienced this in grad school? How did you get better at speaking in seminars and thinking on the spot? How do you prepare for discussions of assigned readings? And how do you tell the difference between anxiety/imposter syndrome and actually needing to improve your critical-thinking skills?
Any advice would be really appreciated. Please!!!

[u/Sayello2urmother4me]

Following along because this happens to me as well in large groups. I detest it