Teachers: Take Care of Your Voice
Some 7.5 million people, including many teachers, have diseases or disorders of the voice.
It's a lesson worth learning: Teachers who try to do the best possible job for their students need to take care and preserve what may be their most valuable teaching asset--their voice.
Teachers are among those professionals who make great demands on their voices; they talk all day long in the classroom and have to project loud enough so that all their students can hear them clearly. Unfortunately, this stress on the voice can lead to health problems.
Some 7.5 million people have diseases or disorders of the voice, reports the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), which supports research into the nature, causes, diagnosis, and prevention of voice disorders. In addition to overuse of the vocal cords, other causes of voice problems include upper respiratory infections, vocal nodules or other growths, laryngeal cancer, and more. Fortunately, most of these disorders can be successfully treated or avoided. Whether you're a teacher or not, try taking the following quiz:
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