I lost my voice. Help me find it!
Posted by KissMeKate on Jun 03, 2009 · Member since Aug 2007 · 7322 posts
So my allergies have rendered me voiceless. I've never dealt with allergies at all before, but I guess since I moved I'm allergic to the different pollen here. It's so bad. This is worse than any cold I've had all year. I've been taking Zyrtec and that helps a bit.
Anyway, what should I do to help my voice? K is coming up on Friday and I'd like to, I dunno, converse with him.
Also, teachers, what do you do when you have to teach but have no voice? Mind you, I teach seventh grade.
get some throat coat tea and slippery elm losenges. DO NOT get losenges with menthol. that covers up the symptoms but does not fix the problem so while you're talking, thinking your throat is better, its actually making it worse. do not drink or eat anything extremely hot or cold, keep your food room temp or warm.
when i am about to lose my voice, i tell the kids that i've totally lost my voice, i put on this big production, because really, you dont want to get to the point of actually losing your voice, it takes quite a while to get it back, so if you are in the process of losing it, treat it as if you dont have a voice at all for a day. use a lot of body cues in the classroom, i usually just keep the kids moving, but i teach the little ones music, and you teach older kids math, so we're at opposite ends there. i can easily get away with not using my voice by playing things on instruments and having the kids sing songs that we sing daily instead of me singing them. we also play a lot more games and do more dancing when i dont have a voice. i dont know if that information helps you out at all. eek. i wouldnt know what to do with a 7th grade math class period. voice or not. haha.
Awww..that sucks Kate. :( I always lose my voice at the beginning of the school year when I start singing and talking all day after a summer of rest. I just drink a lot of water and tea. I like to drink ginger tea and also eucalyptus-echinacea tea I know that's not earth shattering advice, but it does help some.
As far as what I do when I have to teach with no voice....as you guys know, I'm a music teacher, so it really sucks to lose it...I don't know, I just suffer through it. Sometimes the kids make fun of me b/c I still try to sing. That lightens the mood. Hehe. I don't know. This isn't much help. I bet Kelsi could help!
ETA: I totally didn't see that Kelsi had already posted. See, I told you she could probably help! :)
P.S. I agree about the "big production." I do that too :)
Yeah, it sucks. We're reviewing for our final. It's like, I can't very well just give them independent work all class--I'm trying to clarify those last minute misunderstandings/review things they already mostly know so that we can raise our test scores. But it's like, if I give them stuff they can already do so I don't have to talk, then it's a wasted day.
And I talk a lot. And raise my voice a lot. I use nonverbal cues mostly to moderate discussion. But my kids are generally non-sympathetic to sick teachers and they're acting up anyway because it's the last full week of school before finals. These days are gonna be a waste.
I've tried that tea before and like it a lot. I'll get some.
eek. what about peer tutoring?? would they work in pairs to study for the exam? you could match them up based on who can help out who and then monitor? i dont know. sorry! i wish i had more suggestions!
Also, teachers, what do you do when you have to teach but have no voice? Mind you, I teach seventh grade.
Is there any sort of sound equipment available in your room or through the school? Like a small mike you could put on or something? I lost my voice last November and made it through by speaking normally into a mike. However, I realize that the a/v equipment I have in my college classroom is different from what you might have at your disposal.
Barring that, I recommend group work too. I was okay going and talking with just a few students at a time. Use something external to bring the class to attention--if they're already used to something else (a hand clap, a light flicker, a raised hand, or a bell) even better.
I love throat coat tea.
I like the groups idea. And walk around to each group and speak with them one at a time, this way you'll be close and can talk quietly.
Maybe you could get students that know aspects that others dont, and they can go around helping the other students understand (if that makes sense)
I remember my 7th grade self and peer on peer work would keep me occupied.
And all i can think of to help is tea like everyone else. I was thinking antiseptic spray, but i'm pretty sure that just numbs it, and your talking would make it worse (like the menthol).
Whatever you do, don't whisper. Whispering puts a strain on your voice and can make it worse, not better.
Miso soup
Lemon, Ginger and Peppermint tea (not spearmint)
Something w/ tomatoes in it
Mild heat Thai food would work as well (many of the herbs/spices they use are good for the voice/throat)
though like Kelsi said, it can mask the symptoms, I'd also recommend breathing in steam w/ some vick's vapo rub (has menthol in it), lavender, and mint. You can just do the herbs, but with the vick's it helps to clear the sinuses as well (mind you, it does this by encouraging it to run and run and run, so have plenty of tissues at hand), more permanently than steam and herbs alone.
for the classroom--do you have access to a projector? if you do, you can have the kids ask a question, put a problem on the projector and work it out to show them the part they're having trouble with, all without having to turn your back to them. To break up discussions or distract the chatter boxes, you can bring in a bell or do what many of my teachers did back in High School, and have a mallet/gavel that they'd bang on a desk. If you have to speak, do so from your diaphragm/use your 'deep voice'.
Stay away from heavy/throat coating foods (if you weren't vegan, I'd say stay away from all dairy). This would include things like non-diluted peanut butter (ie pb&j sandwich vs peanut sauce), pureed tofu anything, not sure about milk subs, bean pastes (humus COULD be okay though...remember the lemon thing).
That's about it from my end....if you lived near by, I'd mix a special blend of herbs from my cabinet from you....unfortunately, as of yet, that's not feasible with today's technology!
Also try to stay away from coffee, as the caffeine and acidity of it can further dry out your throat/vocal cords.....
Slice some raw ginger root and cook it into your tea. As strong as you like. It does wonders. And absolutely do not whisper. Whispering is passing air over your cords and dries them out making it more difficult to lubricate and heal.
::runs in from Ingredient X thread::
This isn't going to help you during the school day, but when I feel really sick I like putting a little liquor in my tea, like a hot toddy. I have a bottle of scotch that DH and I received for free on a cruise, and it's like the only thing I drink it in. I make regular hot tea and add some scotch and lemon to it (and honey--you could probably just add sugar and at least get the flavor). Nothing too overwhelming--maybe a small shot in a good sized mug of tea.
I suppose in truth it's not the best thing for you (since alcohol dries out, no?) but I think it just helps to dull the pain and allow you to relax. Also it might not be the best thing with allergy meds.
But, by golly, it makes me feel good.
That actually brings up another question I had--I know that honey is recommended in these situations--is there any vegan product that does the same thing? It seems to me like agave just wouldn't be the same in this case.
a couple people mentioned tomatoes and liquor and how these things could be beneficial (i havent read about it, but hey if it works!! go for it!) BUT these things give me a sore throat because i have very minor acid reflux. the only symptoms that i have of acid reflux is that when i eat chocolate, tomatoes, onions, alcohol, caffine, it hurts my voice from the acids eating at my vocal folds. but if you do not have acid reflux, these things probably wouldnt be so bad for you at this time. I've found that simply giving up my morning coffee, my late night alcohol, my chocolate snacks and tomatos and onions helped me clear up my vocal problems (in addition to vocal rest). but thats because of my situation. you could give it a try. just take note, is your voice more strained within an hour or two after consuming any of those things? If so, you could take some acid reflux medicine, or cut it out of your diet until your voice gets better.
http://www.katesvoice.org/images/logo.jpg
I found it!!!! :highfive:
Perhaps you could have the kids with questions ask the class for help on the problem. So one raises a hand and you call on them. They say "I dont get this whole no dividing by zero thing" and you let the other kids explain (politely and appropriately) by calling on the ones you know who know the answer.
So they are helping each other and reinforcing their own knowledge while you can sit back and direct voicelessly.
(Yeah my example is silly for 7th graders but still the only thing I could think up off the top of my head!)
Perhaps you could have the kids with questions ask the class for help on the problem. So one raises a hand and you call on them. They say "I dont get this whole no dividing by zero thing" and you let the other kids explain (politely and appropriately) by calling on the ones you know who know the answer.
So they are helping each other and reinforcing their own knowledge while you can sit back and direct voicelessly.
(Yeah my example is silly for 7th graders but still the only thing I could think up off the top of my head!)
Thats a good idea!! Give the students the chalk and let them be the teacher.
Y'all are assuming I have something which resembles "classroom management skills." jk. I mean, I do groups occasionally, but we are more used to drill and practice and independent work and other clear cut, don't talk activities. My kids are crazies. Like, I'd say yesterday I waited perhaps five or ten minutes for them to even begin to be quiet when it was time for me to give directions.
Tomorrow I might do "groups" but make it not seem like groups, or at least not call it groups, because I think that will cue relative chaos. Like, tomorrow, focus on four or five types of final exam questions (which are basically like the final questions with different numbers). And have pre-arranged groups with high level and low level kids so that no one group will be totally lost (and one remedial group which I can follow). And maybe for each group have a question sheet with a complete example at the top and four-five scaffolded questions which they have to complete as a group. Each station can have a different color. And then when they finish all the stations they will have a nice little happy colorful review packet to study from and then we can do a mini-quiz or something.
I mean, even that will require a lot of explanation of directions/expectations. I will have to type up a sheet with the directions and have kids read it (even reading aloud while others listen is a struggle in our class, gahhhhhh). Unfortunately the classroom is always loud, and no matter how many different ways I communicate what appropriate voice volume is, we haven't been able to master that. I have incentives and positive praise and consequences and everything. If any teachers have ideas for that that would be awesome, but seeing as how its the last two days of school it's kind of a loss at this point. This happens in most of their classes, not just mine. The science room always sounds like a zoo.
Thanks! This is way more advice than I expected! I drank coffee today. I guess I shouldn't have. Oh well. Tea tea tea. Kelsi, I don't think it's acid reflux related.
Y'all have good ideas (for many of you not even being teachers!) I might start a separate teacher talk thread.
Thats a good idea!! Give the students the chalk and let them be the teacher.
Oh dear god. I love that concept, but that would be total and utter anarchy/comedy hour. ::)
.....yeah.....We still have the paddle that one of my mom's student's parents carved for her while she taught on a reservation....it even has our last name engraved on it. I told my dad that if I ever wound up being a teacher, I'd get one of those posters w/ the rules from an 1800's school house (complete w/ how many 'strikes' per offense) and have the paddle hanging either over that, or at my desk. 8-)
Perhaps you could have the kids with questions ask the class for help on the problem. So one raises a hand and you call on them. They say "I dont get this whole no dividing by zero thing" and you let the other kids explain (politely and appropriately) by calling on the ones you know who know the answer.
So they are helping each other and reinforcing their own knowledge while you can sit back and direct voicelessly.
(Yeah my example is silly for 7th graders but still the only thing I could think up off the top of my head!)
Thats a good idea!! Give the students the chalk and let them be the teacher.
Ooh! Yes! My kids love teaching each other!