The occupational hazard of teaching

today I read an interesting article about a teacher that has received compensation for damaging her voice. Here is the article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328093/Teacher-lost-voice-trying-make-heard-wins-150k-payout.html

I am very aware of the challenges teachers have using their voices, since one of the areas of training I offer is for teachers. I focus on vocal health; non-verbal communication and ensuring teachers use their voices in the correct way to prevent vocal damage.

Teachers receive, on average, a 1 hour workshop on using their voices, when they are training. This could be with 200 other students. When singers and actors learn to use their voices; to project and learn to pace themselves when using their voices, they spend hours on training, and often it is one to one tuition. Yet teachers have to speak every day for 40 weeks a day; they can't whisper but must project their voices.

Unfortunately many schools being built now are acoustically unsuitable for teaching; a well trained singer or actor would find it challenging to project their voice in some of the rooms being built. Add to that the challenge that many rooms are not sound proofed: noise in adjacent rooms carries, which disturbs classes and makes it more difficult for teachers to project their voices.

Another challenge is that many children don't know HOW to listen and concentrate. They are so used to passive entertainment from the television, computer or ipod and don't understand how to engage. More children have little concept of being quiet when someone is speaking, or they will be distracted by a text message on their mobile.

I am aware that some schools are buying microphones for their teachers and in fact one microphone manufacturer claimed that results improved when teachers used microphones. I would like to see the research first but suspect that the 'magic of statistics' was able to create this result... I have a number of concerns for using microphones in a classroom environment:

• Teachers still need to know how to use their voices healthily and effectively. If they are using their voices for 5 hours a day, poor vocal technique will still lead to vocal damage, whether they are using a microphone or not.
• Unless you are properly trained to set the sound levels for using microphones in the environment where they are being used, the sound levels not be set to appropriate levels. Given the acoustic of many classrooms, the sound will still be too loud in certain areas and too soft in others. Wraparound sound is not provided with these systems.
• The sound of the teacher's voice is likely to disturb classrooms adjacent to the class. If all the classrooms have sound enhancement, the work environment is going to become very, very noisy.
• When a voice or sound is loud, pupils will speak louder to be heard when having a conversation. Surely a classroom environment should not be about shouting at each other.
• Pupils are so used to loud background noises; why should an amplified teacher be any different.
• Pupils have to learn the skill of listening and concentrating.

The problem is that teachers are not taught how to use their voices. Teachers voices and body language are their principle communication tools. Teachers need to be given training - and more than an hour at college. They also need support to develop these skills; be self aware and be able to recognise when they are having problems with their voices.

Executive Voice offer one to one and group training for teachers. We focus on good vocal usage; vocal health; prevention of damage and non-verbal communication. Call 0844 576 3015 for more information.

We also have an excellent CD 'Make an impact with your voice for teachers and trainers'. Buy here.