2 in 5 teachers in city have problems with their voices
Most Not Worried As Long As They Are Heard, Finds Study
Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com 26.09.2018
We’ve all heard stories about how singers go to extremes to nurse their voices, avoiding the sun, cold water and what have you. But another set of professionals who depend on their voices to make themselves heard — teachers who often have to speak loudly for 6-8 hours a day — rarely bother with the health of their larynges.
A recent study in the Journal of Voice concluded that nearly two in five school teachers in Chennai had problems with their voices, but reported them only when they had real trouble delivering lectures.
With more than 1500 schools, Chennai has more than 1.5 lakh teachers who often have to raise their voices to be heard above the din – even when students are quiet, which often they are not, there is noise from the playgrounds or the streets and buildings nearby. And there’s chalk dust, which can clog noses and throats.
“We talk for 6-8 hours. There are now more students per classroom and many are naughty. Besides there is too much background noise in the classroom and we are forced to raise our voice,” said Sharada S, a primary math teacher at a private matriculation school.
“At least three of the five classes I handled today were close to the playground and I had to be loud for students to hear me. I often return home with a hoarse voice and a strained throat,” she said.
A team of voice therapists from Sri Ramachandra University surveyed 384 teachers and found that most first use home remedies. While doctors and voice experts see adequate water intake and steam inhalation as positive habits, 36% of teachers said they had less than six glasses of water and 37.5% did not do steam inhalation.
The study’s corresponding author Prakash Boominathan, who heads the university’s speech language and hearing department, said what was really counterproductive was that more than a quarter of the teachers took more than two cups of coffee a day, although a majority said they don’t smoke or drink. Another commonly abused remedy is throat lozenges, he said.
“Most teachers were not worried about voice quality as long as they were heard clearly and their throats did not hurt,” said Aishwarya Nallamuthu, who was part of the study.
They had very little idea about what having a healthy voice meant. Some 23% thought they were fine if their voice were “flexible” – if they could speak for long in different tones and decibels. Another 22% thought it was OK if they had could speak for long. Many dismissed their problems as minor – as a dry throat or throat irritation.
Nallamuthu said it was important to educate teachers on vocal health so that problems could be treated early. “For this we must inculcate tailor-made vocal hygiene programmes,” she said.
Most Not Worried As Long As They Are Heard, Finds Study
Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com 26.09.2018
We’ve all heard stories about how singers go to extremes to nurse their voices, avoiding the sun, cold water and what have you. But another set of professionals who depend on their voices to make themselves heard — teachers who often have to speak loudly for 6-8 hours a day — rarely bother with the health of their larynges.
A recent study in the Journal of Voice concluded that nearly two in five school teachers in Chennai had problems with their voices, but reported them only when they had real trouble delivering lectures.
With more than 1500 schools, Chennai has more than 1.5 lakh teachers who often have to raise their voices to be heard above the din – even when students are quiet, which often they are not, there is noise from the playgrounds or the streets and buildings nearby. And there’s chalk dust, which can clog noses and throats.
“We talk for 6-8 hours. There are now more students per classroom and many are naughty. Besides there is too much background noise in the classroom and we are forced to raise our voice,” said Sharada S, a primary math teacher at a private matriculation school.
“At least three of the five classes I handled today were close to the playground and I had to be loud for students to hear me. I often return home with a hoarse voice and a strained throat,” she said.
A team of voice therapists from Sri Ramachandra University surveyed 384 teachers and found that most first use home remedies. While doctors and voice experts see adequate water intake and steam inhalation as positive habits, 36% of teachers said they had less than six glasses of water and 37.5% did not do steam inhalation.
The study’s corresponding author Prakash Boominathan, who heads the university’s speech language and hearing department, said what was really counterproductive was that more than a quarter of the teachers took more than two cups of coffee a day, although a majority said they don’t smoke or drink. Another commonly abused remedy is throat lozenges, he said.
“Most teachers were not worried about voice quality as long as they were heard clearly and their throats did not hurt,” said Aishwarya Nallamuthu, who was part of the study.
They had very little idea about what having a healthy voice meant. Some 23% thought they were fine if their voice were “flexible” – if they could speak for long in different tones and decibels. Another 22% thought it was OK if they had could speak for long. Many dismissed their problems as minor – as a dry throat or throat irritation.
Nallamuthu said it was important to educate teachers on vocal health so that problems could be treated early. “For this we must inculcate tailor-made vocal hygiene programmes,” she said.
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