Tips For Teachers: Caring For Your Voice

From preschool to postgraduate education, teachers play a crucial role for almost everyone. Vocal communication is critical to traditional teaching, and therefore teachers use their voices for longer periods of time and more loudly than most people in the workplace.

Over time, the additional strain and potential development of bad vocal habits can cause changes to the vocal cords (aka vocal folds) and makes a difference in vocal health.

Key Takeaways: Teacher Vocal Health: What You Need to Know

• Frequent speaking, large class sizes and prolonged vocal use make teachers two to three times more likely than non-teachers to develop voice problems. 
• Recognize the warning signs early. Persistent hoarseness, vocal fatigue, strain, breathiness or changes in pitch and volume that last more than a few weeks should be evaluated by a healthcare provider. 
• Healthy voice habits can help prevent injury. Rest your voice, stay hydrated, avoid speaking over classroom noise, consider voice amplification and manage conditions like acid reflux that can affect vocal health. 
• Treatment is available and often effective. Early evaluation by an ENT and, when appropriate, speech therapy can help teachers recover from voice disorders and protect their voices for the demands of the classroom.

Symptoms Of A Voice Disorder

Voice disorders may be anything from temporary laryngitis, habitual muscle tension, and/or structural changes such as vocal nodules or polyps. Symptoms of a voice disorder may include:

• Changes to the quality of your voice: hoarseness, roughness, quivering, strain, breathiness
• Changes to the endurance of your voice: starting out in the morning with a strong voice, but weakening or worsening of the voice as you speak / go through the day
• Changes to the performance of your voice: inability to change pitches or volume as well or as easily

Many voice disorders can be improved with treatment when diagnosed early. If you have a voice change that lasts longer than a few weeks, your healthcare provider may send you to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist (otolaryngologist).

Teachers At Greater Risk For Voice Disorders

Research has shown voice disorders are prevalent amongst teachers. Teachers develop voice disorders at twice to three times the rate of non-teachers.

Sixty-three percent of teachers experience a voice disorder during their lifetime, with 54.3% experiencing a voice disorder at some point in their career.

Recent 2025 studies found between 20.38% and 37.7% of teachers have current symptoms of dysphonia, or a voice disorder. Many factors contribute to dysphonia such as having reflux and upper repository infections (URIs). However, certain factors about the teaching profession have been found to significantly correlate with having a voice disorder including grade taught, years of teaching experience, class size, and lessons per week (teaching 21–30 lessons per week).

Not only does this impact the teacher’s health but may also impact student learning due to loss of classroom time and difficulty in hearing or understanding a teacher due to their disordered voice quality or volume.

Reducing Your Risk Of A Voice Disorder

There are a few practical tips teachers can follow to reduce the risk of developing a voice disorder.

Protect your voice

Rest your voice. Group exercises or student discussion allow your vocal cords to rest during the teaching day. Plan vocal rest after strenuous vocal use.

Do not strain: Avoid speaking over background noise whenever possible. Avoid speaking over the classroom for redirection and use other methods to get children’s attention. Consider using amplification. Simple devices, like microphones with a small speaker attached to the body, are relatively inexpensive and widely available. Schools may already have a few devices at hand.

Hydrate

Stay hydrated to lubricate the vocal cords. Hydration is essential for vocal health, so be sure drink enough water.

Be aware of your health

Know the effects of medications you’re taking. Some medications, such as decongestants, antihistamines, antidepressants and diuretics, may dehydrate your vocal cords or cause chronic cough (ACE inhibitors/blood pressure medication).

Be aware of surprising health conditions that could impact your voice. Gastric reflux and sinus drainage can have a significant impact on vocal health. If either of these is a problem, consult with your primary care provider to find a management plan that works for you.

Treating Voice Disorders In Teachers

Even with best efforts, voice disorders remain common across the teaching population. With these challenges in mind, we treat teachers with voice disorders in very specific ways.

Some voice disorders require medical intervention by an Ear, Nost, and Throat Physician (Otolaryngologist). In addition, a skilled speech-language pathologist (speech therapist) may work with patients in conjunction with an ENT or if medical intervention by an ENT is not needed.  Speech therapists work with patients on can work on strengthening and conditioning the voice to recover from a voice disorder and condition a teacher for the heavy vocal demands of the classroom.

If you have concerns about your voice, contact a Franciscan Health ENT for an evaluation and ask if speech therapy would be appropriate for you.