Keep your 'vocal engine' lubricated
Just as a car needs motor oil to keep the engine running smoothly, teachers' hard-working vocal folds require lubrication to keep them working well. Scientific studies have shown that - when the environment is excessively dry - the vocal folds must work harder to produce voice and that the resulting sound has increased unsteadiness.
In many climates, winter months create the need for forced air heat in the classroom. Unfortunately, heat tends to make moisture in classroom air plummet. Since teachers need to talk more in their jobs than almost any other workers, their voices deserve an adequately moist vocal environment.
Vocologists (trained voice specialists) usually consider a room "dry" if the relative humidity falls below 30 percent. What are ways to boost a dry room into a vocal comfort zone?
Room humidifiers/vaporizers simply put tiny particles of water into the air. Although there are both warm- and cold-air models, many vocologists favor those that boil the water, preventing the release of impurities into the air. Teachers' voices benefit from their use beyond the classroom as well. Many residents of dry climates report easier and clearer voicing throughout the day when they routinely use vaporizers at night as they sleep.
Personal humidifiers are also an option. These machines are readily available at pharmacies or mass merchants for as little as $25. They are sometimes marketed as gear for steaming the skin (facials). Teachers can use the personal machines before school or during breaks to re-moisten their nasal passages and voice-producing tissues.
Grandma's method of simply placing shallow bowls or pans of water around the room is probably better than nothing for room humidification. This approach, however, is less efficient than the mechanical humidifiers, because water evaporates rather slowly into the air.
Finally, teachers can prevent dehydration from the inside out by drinking adequate amounts of water throughout the day and sensibly limiting moisture-sapping agents: caffeine, alcohol and dehydrating cold and allergy medications.
Visit the Voice
Academy: a cost-free, virtual school created solely for the vocal health of
teachers (www.voiceacademy.org).