Taking Care Of Your Voice_________________
(Wisenwriters, 2009)
As an educator the majority of your career will involve using your most important tool... your voice.
Here are 5 tips to looking after your voice.
Here are 5 tips to looking after your voice.
- Warm Your Voice Up: Spend a few minutes at the start of your day warming up your voice. No need to do any special vocal exercises, just hum your favorite song, or sing along gently to the radio on your way to work. About 5 to 10 minutes is plenty of time and you will be ready to start your day.
- Drink Plenty of Water: Water is important to looking after yourself in general, and it is just as important for your voice. Water keeps your vocal folds lubricated and the mucous membranes working well.
- Avoid drying out your mouth and throat: Caffeine, sugar and other items that can contribute to dehydration will dry out your throat and mouth. Another cause of a dry throat can be smoking and alcohol. While smoking can cause a myriad of throat and voice related problems, alcohol is just as dehydrating as the most sugary, caffeinated drinks you can consume. Avoiding these things will help prevent vocal problems.
- Use Other Forms of Communication: There are many ways to communicate in a classroom. Use cards, a white or blackboard, have the students take turns reading texts or use multimedia devices. This will give your voice a chance to take a break. This brings us to our next point...
- Rest It!: When you're not teaching try and rest your voice as much as possible, and when you are teaching if you don't have to speak stay silent. Your voice needs time to rest and rejuvenate, just like the other parts of your body. A worn out voice and throat is more likely to go hoarse and become painful, and in the worst case disappear altogether for awhile.