No Voice

A strange pity fell across the room this week when a coughing fit incapacitated my voice in the middle of a classroom discussion. I rushed to get my water bottle, having realized that a cold was setting in and trying my best to be prepared, but it was not enough. Momentarily, my voice was gone. And no student made a peep. Several glanced sideways at each other, wondering what to do, but no one made a definitive movement or spoke. I croaked out an apologized, and my students just stared, dumbfounded. A teacher with no voice is no teacher at all! They didn't know how to react! They shifted uncomfortably as I gulped down water and tried to dislodge the frog that had settled in my throat. After 90 seconds of discomfort for all involved, I managed a squeaky sentence that slowly evened out into a hoarse echo of what my voice was minutes before. This would have to do.

Never before had I been so captivating to my students. My sudden lack of voice was obviously the most astounding thing to happen in our classroom that morning, or likely that week. I was slowly able to get the class back on track with my weaker voice, but my whispered tones worked wonders for behavior management! With all of my students straining to hear me, they were forced to be quiet and focus. Moral of this story: take the good with the bad and make the best of what you've got!