Newswise — Cheryl Casey, a veteran Chicago Public School teacher, thought she would have to give up the career she loved when she was advised that the only way to save what was left of her voice was to stop talking.
"I laughed when they told me to let my aide do the talking," she remembers. "I had an aide for one hour of a six hour day."
Teachers depend on their voices as much as singers do, but are much less likely to give them the care and protection they need, says Dr. Steven Sims, director of the Chicago Institute for Voice and assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The UIC institute is hosting the 2007 Midwest Voice Conference, "A Focus on the Classroom", on Aug. 17 to help teachers save their voices.
"The inspiration for the conference came from the problems we were seeing in the clinic," said Sims. "I would see teachers who described starting off fine on Monday, growing hoarser through the week, being barely able to whisper by Friday -- and then resting up over the weekend, just to start the cycle all over again on Monday."
The constant strain on the vocal cords produces nodules, which sometimes require removal through surgery, Sims said.
By the time Casey reached UIC, she could barely speak. Sims referred her to Bonnie Smith, director of speech pathology, for vocal therapy.
They met eight times. Each time, Smith would give Casey exercises and tapes to take home and practice in the car. The nodules which had developed on Casey's vocal cords gradually shrank and disappeared, and she was able to return to her classroom.
Because the majority of Casey's students did not have anyone in their homes who spoke English, it was vital for her to communicate the lesson before the students left the classroom.
"I teach with my voice," Casey said, describing a day in her life as a third grade teacher as full of explaining, describing, responding to questions -- and reading aloud, while changing her voice for each character.
The conference will include sessions with Sims and Smith as well as Nelson Roy of the University of Utah, who is a national expert on voice disorders in teachers, and Dr. Katherine Duvall, co-director of the health and the arts program in the UIC School of Public Health.
Teachers will learn how the voice works, how to recognize occupational voice hazards, the basics of voice therapy for teachers, and how to protect their voices, which is particularly important, Sims said.
"Understanding how to conserve your voice can save teachers from the intensive voice therapy needed to restore what has been lost."
The conference meets 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UIC Eye and Ear Infirmary, 1855 West Taylor St.
For more information, contact Colleen at [email protected] or (312) 996-6583.
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