Why do I keep losing my voice from teaching?
Extended talking and projecting to large groups causes progressive weekly voice strain that can return at the start of every school year. This recurring loss of voice creates anxiety about potential permanent damage to vocal cords from continuous strain.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Drinking waterDid this help you?
- 2Using menthol cough dropsDid this help you?
- 3Gargling salt waterDid this help you?
- 4Drinking warm tea with honeyDid this help you?
- 5Sipping water constantly from a desk bottleDid this help you?
- 6Speaking from the diaphragm to project the voiceDid this help you?
- 7Preheating the throat and doing singing exercisesDid this help you?
- 8Sucking on Hall's throat lozengesDid this help you?
- 9Using a personal voice amplifier with a clip-on microphone and speakerDid this help you?
- 10Drinking a lot of waterDid this help you?
- 11Using throat lozenges, drops, and cough drops (like Fishermen's Friend)Did this help you?
- 12Drinking lemonade, honey, and throat coat teaDid this help you?
- 13Using a lapel or headset microphone and voice amplifierDid this help you?
- 14Speaking from the diaphragm and taking singing lessons for proper projectionDid this help you?
- 15Singing in the car prior to teachingDid this help you?
- 16Reducing whole-group instruction and using silent or group work activitiesDid this help you?
- 17Using alternative cues like desk bells, non-verbal looks, or counting instead of talking over studentsDid this help you?
- 18Using partner activities and instructions written ahead of timeDid this help you?
- 19Carrying around a whiteboard to communicateDid this help you?
- 20Using an over-the-shoulder microphone and speakerDid this help you?
- 21Whispering or speaking with a softer voice to get students' attentionDid this help you?
- 22Using clapping patterns to gather attentionDid this help you?
- 23Using non-verbal routines or gibberishDid this help you?
- 24Rewarding students with candy for being quietDid this help you?
- 25talking from the diaphragmDid this help you?
- 26practicing presence and postureDid this help you?
- 27raising an arm and waiting or staring until students become silentDid this help you?
- 28changing student seatsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“High school science teacher here, year 5, still can’t figure out how to keep voice pain less. Every year I lose voice. I feel I drink a lot of water throughout the day.”source ↗
“First week of teaching and lost my voice completely. Help?”source ↗
“I have five different classes, but I struggle with the two most numerous ones, made up of 30 middle schoolers.”source ↗
“When they talk very loud I raise my arm and wait or stare but it takes them a good 4 minutes to become silent and once I am done saying watever they go back to speaking.”source ↗
“However she told me this on Friday but I had already a pain in my throat and I have lost my voice.”source ↗
“she says I have to figure out my own punishments.”source ↗
“right now after every week my throat feels very irritated >_< right now i'm making myself some thyme-honey-cinamon milk but I was wondering if there's anything more effective”source ↗
“It's my 1st year teaching and I've already lost my voice.”source ↗
“In the last few years, I've started losing my voice for weeks on end.”source ↗
“I cannot afford to miss classess for weeks on end. What are some ways for me to keep the students engaged?”source ↗
“This is the second week in a row where I’ve lost my voice, not completely, but decently near the end.”source ↗
“I’m worried I might be doing permanent damage though, if this keeps happening.”source ↗
“I love what I do, but I have a problem: my voice is shot.”source ↗
“Do you guys have any strategies you could share for not losing your voice all the time?”source ↗
“I lose my voice at the beginning of every school year.”source ↗
Where this came up
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