ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences. 
​Childhood experiences can be both positive and negative, and can have a huge impact on our futures. 
Adverse Childhood Experiences have been associated with:

• risky health behaviors
• chronic health conditions
• low life potential
• early death

As the number of ACEs increases, so does the risk for these outcomes.

Early Brain Development
Experiences build our brain architecture. Our interactions shape our brain circuitry and the synapses we build during moments of learning. Our emotions during these learning moments strongly impact how our brains store the new information from these experiences.  Toxic stress can derail healthy development. 
Toxic stress = Extreme, frequent, or extended activation of the body's stress response, without the buffering presence of a supportive adult.

Day to day interactions can be tough and interfere with a child's ability to learn.  ACEs can show up at home, at the store, at school, or in the waiting room of a doctor's office.  It's important to recognize these behaviors so that we can help children to self regulate and deal with their stress.
Stress in little kids can appear as:

• Poor sleep or nightmares
• Poor appetite, low weight, or other digestive problems
• Difficulties with relationships
• Regressions in developmental abilities
• Excessive temper
• Scream or cry excessively
• Startle
• Anxious, fearful or avoidant
• Fear of separation
• Irritability

Stress in older kids can appear as:

• Short attention span​
• Flight, fight, or fright (freeze) response
• Struggle to learn; falling behind in school
• Respond to world as constant danger
• Distrustful of adults
• Unable to develop health peer friends
• Feel of failure, despair

How To Help:

1. We have to believe that all kids are good, but that many of them have troubles over which they have little control
2. We have to understand that behaviors are adaptations of the environment
3. We have to create an environment where kids feel safe enough to learn
4. We have to help kids learn self-regulation

It is important to remember that some of the kids we work with are already torn down when they get to school or therapy, and we must always build them up!

One on One: Create Safety

• Be aware of when the child is upset
• Offer an interaction, open up the lines of communication with them
• Offer quiet time or reflection
• Help the child find ways to regulate themselves:
  • Having a special person or place they go to
  • Meditation
  • Rocking
  • Music
  • Breathing
  • Yoga
  • Movement
  • Writing/Art
  • Make glitter bottles, stress/squeeze balls, or  slime
  • Go outside; encourage outdoor exploration or play
  • Offer downtime: mental rest, daydreaming, relaxation time
• Reflect, validate, thank
  
  • Listen to the child when they want to talk, reflect back to them that they have been heard, validate the child's feelings without judgment, and thank them for sharing with you
    
• Have clear and set routines and expectations
  
  • This is very beneficial for children who live in chaotic environments where they are often out of control
    
• Give kids moments of success instead of focusing on the negatives
  
• Create opportunities for children to be good and have success
  
• Positive experiences lead to more positive experiences and those moments make kids feel valued and valuable
  

To learn more about ACEs you can visit their website at:
https://acestoohigh.com/
You can also find out your own ACE score at:
​https://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/

So how is learning intertwined with our memories? 
     Memory is essential to all learning because it lets you store and retrieve the information that you learn.  Memory is the record left by a learning process.  For example, you learn a new language by studying it, but you then speak it by using your memory to retrieve the words that you learned!

• Learning is the acquisition of skill or knowledge
• Memory is the expression of what you've acquired

Neuroplasticity
     We learn and remember, we think new thoughts, or we visualize new images, and we change throughout our lifetimes.  Whenever our neural networks change as a result of new information being stored, our behavior also changes.  
     Our brains respond to the same experiences differently at different ages in our lives and especially during early development.  So the same experience we have as an infant that effects our brain, might cause a different effect when we experience it in adolescence and beyond.

Prenatal Experiences
     Prenatal events can influence our brain plasticity throughout life.
Prenatal experiences alter our brain organization.  Potentially negative experiences (i.e. prenatal exposure to recreational drugs) and positive experiences (i.e. tactile stimulation of the mother's skin), can alter our gene expression or produce other effects on brain organization.  ​

The brain of a newborn is constantly being flooded with information.  Over the first few years of life the brain grows rapidly and as each neuron matures it sends out multiple branches (axons) which increases the number of synaptic contacts.  As we get older the old connections are deleted in a process called "synaptic pruning".  This means that the old memories that we no longer frequently use become weaker and weaker until they are pruned and eliminated.  The memories and connections that we actively and most frequently use become strengthened and preserved. 
     Like in the movie Inside Out when Joy and Sadness find Bing Bong (Riley's old imaginary friend) who accidentally ends up in the Memory Dump: the place where old memories are discarded to make way for new ones (aka Synaptic Pruning at work).  If we don't use a memory or something we've learned enough, our brain decides it's not important and gets rid of it to make room for new information.

There are different types of memory.

• Short term memory: What we think about
  • ​Sensory memory: what we perceive; it’s the ability to retain information related to the different senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing) and when we focus our attention on a sensory memory it moves into short-term memory
  • Working memory: is the way we process the sensory information we are actively thinking about. It’s limited to holding between five and seven items in the mind at a time for about 30 seconds. When information in working memory seems important it’s transferred to long-term memory
• Long term memory: What we know
  • ​Explicit memories (declarative): our conscious memories. This is “knowing what” something is. It looks at semantic memory (knowing what actually happened) and episodic memory (our impression of what happened).
  • Implicit memories (non-declarative): an unconscious memory. It includes our procedural memory which focuses on knowing how something works.

Memory is learning that has persisted over time. It is information that has been stored and that can be recalled
Memory can be accessed through three different ways:

1. Recall
   
   1. A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier (i.e. fill in the blank tests)
2. Recognition
   1. A measure of memory in which the person need only identify items previously learned (i.e. multiple choice tests)
3. Relearning
   1. A measure of memory that assess the amount of time saved when learning material again (i.e. studying for a final exam)

This is why repetition and practice are essential for us to learn something new.  Reading about something one time doesn't mean we know it and will remember it.  We have to put in work to keep information in our long term memory so that we can actively call on the information we learned when ever we want!

What is code switching?
​Code switching is the practice of switching the languages you use or the way you express yourself in conversations depending on your environment.

This is most popularly used in bilingual communities when someone switches between two languages, for example Spanglish- the combination of using Spanish and English words in a sentence. Code switching is also utilized to switch between dialects, registers, styles, tone of voice, slang, etc. It is essentially the ability to switch between professional language and "home" language.

The second most common use of code switching is by people who speak nonstandard or a dialectal English.  For example, African American English (AAE) or Southern American English.  Both of these English dialects have their own set of consistent grammatical rules that they follow.  They have to learn to code-switch to a more standard form of English in a formal or academic setting.

WE ALL CODE SWITCH
Any time we switch the language we use to fit the audience we are talking to, we are code switching!

Smaller examples of code switching:

• The language you use to talk to your boss vs. talking to your best friend
• The language and tone of voice you use to talk on the phone to the bank vs. talking to your mom
• Even the language you use when texting is code switching from English to texting abbreviations

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
It is expected in schools and in professional settings that we already know how to use Standard American English and can code switch independently. 

BUT we are first exposed to language before we even enter school! Toddlers learn language at home.  At home we use a different, more casual language then we do at school or at work.  Therefore, many toddlers are never exposed to Standard American English until they enter school.  They have also never learned or had the need to code switch.  Over time, some kids are able to learn to code switch independently, but this isn't always an easy task.

​
Academic settings often treat features of nonstandard dialects as if they are "errors". When children are using the language they learned in their homes and come to school to be told they are wrong, it makes no logical sense for them because they are correctly using the features of their home language.

When kids aren't taught early on how to code switch to Standard American English, it can cause a lot of problems in the academic setting.  They have difficulty adapting to the grammatical rules, difficulty with reading literacy, anxiety, apprehension about participating in class and social situations, and trouble with other academic standards that are set for them.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

• Code switching (CS) has been found to be a natural occurrence and approach to language use
• CS speakers have higher competencies in both languages and a healthy balanced brain
• CS maximizes learning and decreases anxiety
• CS in the classroom creates more relevance to students, it allows the classroom to become more realistic and personalized
• CS students are allowed to explore target language in regards to personal interests
• CS students are more likely to invest in their own language
• They gain confidence in speaking and understanding language

So teach your kids early on how to code switch! Explain that we use a different language at home and a different language at school.  Teach them when to use their "home" speech and when to use their "school" speech while encouraging them to explore both!  Code switching isn't a negative concept- it is a celebration of our different cultures and a natural occurrence.   It is an effective way for all individuals to communicate across a variety of audiences.

​Have fun exploring the fluidity of language!

When your dysphagia patient doesn't have his dentures
You walk into a patients room to perform a beside swallow exam. While you go through your questions your patient mentions that he has dentures but they're at home. What do you do?
You perform the exam regardless!
Your job is to assess your patients current swallowing ability. If he doesn't have his dentures that's fine, you assess how he eats without them. For a lot of denture wearers not having their dentures is NOT a problem. I've seen a man who lost his dentures eat an entire steak without difficulty...it just took him a while to do it! During the examination if you see the patient is having difficulty masticating and maybe he was hospitalized for shortness of breath, then being on a regular diet without his dentures is probably not functional. You can put him on a temporary downgrade to puree while he is recovering and re-assess him as his health improves or his dentures are located.

When your dysphagia patient has his dentures!
So your patient was lucky and had his dentures with him when he was hospitalized or placed in a nursing home! If your patient has dysphagia though, his dentures may not necessarily be helpful. A study by Son, Seong, Kim, Chee, and Hwang, "The Effects of Removable Denture on Swallowing" looked at swallow function with individuals who wore dentures. Under a videofluoroscopic swallowing study they compared the patients ability to swallow with and without their dentures.  The study results showed that without their dentures oral transit time was reduced and oropharyngeal swallow efficiency increased. They concluded that a removable denture might have negative effects on swallowing ability possibly caused by impaired sensation of the oral cavity or masticatory performance induced by the dentures. Dentures or implants can reduce sensation in the oral cavity, and sensory input (i.e. taste) plays an important role in normal control of voluntary swallow. Improper denture wearing also increases swallowing difficulties by causing changes in tongue movements. The instability of dentures should be considered when looking at swallow function. If a denture is too big it or ill fitting it causes jaw instability and extraneous tongue movement to keep the denture in place. While attempting to control a bolus during mastication, this can become effortful for a patient. Denture adhesive also needs to be taken into consideration. Some denture adhesive might not affix the denture well which can cause jaw instability and extraneous tongue movement. Some denture adhesive can cause desensitization and impact sensory function. It is important to take all of these facts into consideration when performing a bedside swallow exam on a patient with dentures.

Tips to tell your patients
Eating with Dentures

• Don't bite with your front teeth 
• Chew on both sides of your mouth simultaneously to increase stability of dentures
• Cut food into small pieces and place them on both sides at the same time
• Avoid sticky foods, raw vegetables, and hard to chew meats until you become more comfortable with your dentures
• Dentures decrease sensory input so be careful with hot foods or anything with small bones in it 

Living with Dentures

• Try speaking slowly at first, practice reading aloud. Speaking is a different experience when wearing dentures
• You might have increased saliva due to decreased sensory input, be aware of the saliva build up and swallow the saliva don't spit it out. Spitting out saliva can cause more saliva to build.
• When you sneeze, yawn, or cough your dentures can loosen
• You need to remove your dentures at least once daily for a period of time to rest the tissue below them
• After you've been wearing your dentures for years your jaw becomes smaller from wear and normal recession and your dentures don't fit as well. Slippage, gum irritation, and odor are signs that this is happening and you need to get your dentures re-fitted.

Tips for Caregivers:

• When you take dentures out don't wrap them in tissues or napkins. This often leads to them unintentionally being thrown out
• Dentures don't have to be maintained wet. You don't have to put them in a cup of water or container with water. Once out of the mouth they can be kept dry. The acrylic they're made out of will not be altered.
• Simplest way to clean a denture is with a soft toothbrush, a little liquid soap, and a lot of water afterwards to rinse off the soap.
• Whenever you handle a denture do it over a sink or over a towel. A lot of people break dentures when handling them by dropping them on the ground.
• Before placing the denture back in the mouth, it's more comfortable for the patient if it's wet not dry
• Most denture adhesives work best when the tissue side of the denture is dry
• One of the best ways to heal a denture sore is with warm salt water. However if the patient has high blood pressure they have to be monitored carefully if they swallow it as salt can raise blood pressure.
• Lastly, NEVER try to repair a broken denture with super glue. First, super glue is toxic, second it makes it harder for a dental technician to fix it afterwards once you've placed super glue on the denture

What is reflective practice?
Reflective practice is the act of assessing your own thoughts and actions for the purpose of personal learning and development.  For a lot of people, this act is something that is natural and instinctive. For others, it's something you need to actively work towards.  It is the idea of learning from experience.

1. You think about what you did.
2. You think about what happened as a result.
3. You decide from there what you would do differently next time.

Thinking about what happened is the natural part about being human. The difference between casually "thinking" about what you did and "reflective practice" is that in reflective thinking you are required to put a conscious effort into developing insights.

What is the purpose?
Reflective practice helps us explore ideas and apply them to our experiences. It encourages growth and improvement. It can be applied to any profession or personal situation. It is a continuing process where you analyze and evaluate an experience to learn and gain insight to positively improve client outcomes. The whole goal is to lead to changes and improvements in our professions. 
As teachers and therapists we need to think about what you did, why you did it, how you did, and if it worked.
By collecting information about what goes on in our classrooms and sessions and analyzing that information, we can lead to change and improvement in our teaching.

You might be talking to a coworker and say, "My students didn't understand that lesson at all" or "I've been working on this concept with this child for a month and he still doesn't seem to get it." THAT is the beginning stages of reflection. However, if we don't spend time focusing and discussing what actually happened we might jump to conclusions. We may only remember those louder students reactions or we may only remember what the child didn't do. Reflective practice involves a systematic approach of collecting, recording, and analyzing our thoughts and observations to make change.
Think about these things:

• If the child didn't understand the concept, think about what we did and how it may have been unclear.
• If the child grasps a concept and is able to use it, think about what went well, describe it, and think about why it was successful.
• If the students didn't understand a lesson, think about what you said, what were the reactions of all the students, and how did you teach it.
• If the students are misbehaving, think about what they were doing, when, and why?

Getting started:
At the end of every lesson: QUESTION:

1. What did you do?
2. Why did you do that?
3. What is effective?
4. How do you feel about that?
5. How did the children respond to the lesson?
6. Why do you think they responded that way?
7. How can you do that lesson better?
8. What will you do tomorrow?

At the end of every day: QUESTION:

1. Did I accomplish what I wanted to today?
2. Was I prepared today?
3. What did I do well and why was it successful?
4. What can I do better and what do I need to do to change it?
5. What was the most important thing I wanted them to learn today? Is there any evidence that they learned it?
6. What did I learn from the kids today?

Lastly, in the book People Skills, Neil Thompson suggests six steps to reflection:

1. Read- Read around the topics you are learning about or want to learn about and develop
2. Ask- Ask others about the way they do things and why
3. Watch-Watch what is going on around you
4. Feel- Pay attention to your emotions, what prompts them, and how do you deal with the negative ones
5. Talk-Share your views and experiences with others
6. Think-Learn to value time spent thinking about your work

Remember, reflection is a natural thing for humans to do. It only takes a little more conscious effort on your part to become a reflective practitioner and improve the learning of both yourself and your students. You may decide to do something a different way, or you may discover proof that what you're doing is the best possible way-and THAT is what reflective practice is all about.

My first year working in secondary education I assumed that by this stage in the student's life both the parents and teachers knew and understood what an IEP was. I encountered however, some teachers who didn't know what IEP stood for, and some parents who thought the IEP was just a yearly "parent-teacher conference." While the IEP meeting is an opportunity for teachers to give updates to parents, a lot more is going on.

What is an IEP?
IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. This is a document that is developed for each public school student who is eligible for special education. The term "special education" can scare off a lot of parents. This simply means that the general education program isn't meeting the needs of the student so they require an individualized plan with accommodations to help them reach their goals. The IEP is meant to address each student's unique learning difficulties and include specific goals to target them. It is a legally binding document and the school must provide everything it promises in the IEP. 

What happens at an IEP meeting?
The law requires that once a year the IEP team reviews the IEP. The IEP team can meet more often that once a year depending on the needs of the student. The point of the meeting is to make sure the student's IEP is working for them. It gives an opportunity for parents to discuss their child's strengths and weaknesses with teachers. If the student didn't meet any or all of his goals, you can discuss new ideas to help the student. This may mean modifying the goal, adjusting expectations, or giving the student more/different kinds of services/supports.

The IEP meeting is when parents, teachers, and the school can give and get input on how the student is doing. The IEP needs to be revised as the student makes progress and faces new challenges in the academic curriculum.

Who attends the IEP meeting?
The IEP Team will attend every IEP meeting. The IEP team includes:

• Parents
• At least one of the student's general education teachers (unless the student does not work with general education teachers)
• At least one special education teacher or other special education provider
• A school district representative 
• A school psychologist or other specialist (Speech Therapist) who can interpret the student's most recent evaluation and test results
• The student (when it is felt appropriate)

A team member can be excused from the meeting if both the parent and the school agree to it. The parent can invite someone who they feel understands their child's needs to attend the IEP meeting. Anyone who can't attend in person can participate by conference call or video chat.

What is discussed at the IEP Meeting?
The IEP being discussed at the meeting is considered a draft IEP. Some schools create the IEP in advance and then share it at the IEP meeting. Other schools develop it together during the meeting. Since it is a draft, suggested changes can be made during the meeting.
Every IEP meeting will cover these things:

• Present level of performance (PLOP): The case manager (or team leader) will write a statement about the student's current level of academic and functional performance and goals. This is based on data and observations.
• Annual goals: The team reviews the progress the student has made toward meeting his annual goals then together they develop new or revised goals. The goals will be specific, measurable, and unique to the student.
• Individualized supports and services: The team will discuss how well the student's accommodations, modifications, and specialized instruction are working. Then the team updates the supports and services to match the student's PLOP and new goals.
• The results of the student's most recent evaluation, if there is one: Every student will be re-evaluated every three years. The school psychologist or other professionals (Speech Therapist) conducting the evaluation will explain the results at the IEP meeting.

What is in an IEP?
Each IEP will look different as they are made to cater to each student's unique needs. Every IEP however, will contain the following things:

• The student's present level of educational performance (PLOP)
• The results of the student's evaluations and tests
• Special education and related services to be provided (i.e. if the student is receiving Speech Therapy it will state this and the frequency that they will receive it)
• Accommodations and modifications: these help the student to be successful in the general education curriculum; Accommodations are changes in how a student learns and participates, i.e. being given extra time on tests. Modifications are changes in what is taught to or expected, this is the grade-level expectations a student must meet
• Supplementary aids and services: Supports to help a student learn in the general education classroom, i.e. a one-on-one aide, highlighted classroom notes, or assistive technology 
• Annual educational goals
• A description of how the student's progress will be measured and reported to the parent
• An explanation of how much the student will participate in general education classes and extracurricular activities
• The date the IEP will go into effect
• Depending on the student's age and situation it might also include:
  • A transition plan: services and supports to help a student graduate from high school and achieve post-high school goals
  • Extended school year services: some students may receive special education services outside of the regular school year such as during the summer

I hope this gave you good insight into what happens in an IEP meeting. Remember, the IEP is more than just a "parent-teacher meeting," it is an opportunity to make positive changes in a student's life. For more information on IEPs, click below!

Hey there! Here's a peek into my therapy room at a private clinic. If you know me well, you know I love decorating and organizing! Every week I travel between different sites (schools, clinic, nursing home), so I need to have an organized space where I feel comfortable and happy.

​Here's the view from the door:​

The hardest part when decorating was trying to find a theme that would suit my varying clientele. I work with the pediatric through geriatric population, however most of my clients are kids and they're the ones that strongly benefit from visual aids and a colorful atmosphere. I went with a "Spring Time" theme and hoped for the best when my teenage boy clients came in the room that they wouldn't think this was a "lil kid room". So far, no complaints!

My therapy room is small, so all the space needs to be utilized efficiently. Here's a closer look at the desk area:

The thing that everyone always asks about first is my "Desk Toolbox". This is an 18 Drawer Parts Organizer that I got from Walmart and you can also get it off Amazon. I painted it yellow and used chalkboard labels and liquid chalk to label each drawer with the essential tools I use everyday. My pens, pencils, and colored pencils are in adorable school themed Mason Jars that I got from Etsy. My other art supplies, crayons, scissors, paint dot markers, and glue are in a great number organizer that can also be found at Etsy. The "If you want it, work for it!" sign covers up the motivational treats I offer to some kids so they can't see them through the clear glass (lollipop or sticker). On top of my desk you'll see two of the most essential items in any speech room, hand sanitizer and bubbles!

​Here's a look at the wall next to my desk:

I have a full calendar on the back of my door and a day of the week chart next to it. I laminated both and added Velcro to them to make changing the days and months easier. Everything is held up with command strip hooks, even my clothesline pictures!

​Here's a close up of my bookshelf:

Storage cubes are a must have in my clinic. When kids see toys on a shelf they instantly want to grab it. I used storage cubes to hide all the toys, games, and tools that I don't want kids to be distracted by. A lot of my co-workers also use curtains that they fasten to the top of the bookshelf with Velcro to cover all the materials on their shelves. Materials targeting the same goals are organized into each cube. For example, if I want to target language goals with an elementary kid I can find all my materials in the bottom left cube, if I have a middle-high school language kid, I go to the left yellow cube. Having my materials sorted this way makes it easier for me to grab and go between back to back clients.

​These are some visual aids next to the bookshelf:

My small table that we sit at faces this "Good Listeners" visual aid. Once you've read it to a kid multiple times, you can quickly cue an active kid by simply pointing to this sign and then redirecting the kid back to the activity.

​

I like to have my more active kids sit in the chair to the left so they have a clear view at the "Good Listeners" visual aid and I'll close the blinds to decrease the distractions. On the opposite wall, there is a "Voice Volume" visual aid. It rates the different level of volume from 0 (a whisper) to 5 (a shout) and has some colorful pictures of different animals to associate with the sound levels. I have a lot of kids working using appropriate voice and knowing when to switch between their "outside voice" to their "inside voice". Every now and then during a session I'll have the kid look at the chart and tell me what kind of voice they were using and remind them that in the room their voice has to be between 1-3.

My "Use Your Words" picture board is the most used thing in my room. I have a lot of nonverbal and expressive delayed kids that utilize this board to communicate with me. I interchange the "I want ___" part with picture symbols depending on the kid. On the long strips below are pictures of all the toys they can pick from. I can add and remove pictures based on what other goals we're targeting or how many choices I want to give the kid.

Here you can see the voice volume chart as well as my "Garden of Good Manners" visual. I have a lot of pragmatic kids, and each flower is labeled with a different pragmatic skill, i.e. "Take Turns," "Say please", or "Say I'm sorry." The kids love to look at the garden and I have incorporated into activities before by having the kid color their own "Good Manner" flower and label the petals with different emotions we talked about or different pragmatic strategies we've discussed.

That's my speech room! I am constantly adding and changing things to it everyday as my clients change and grow, but I am extremely happy with how it turned out! Thanks for taking the tour, let me know what you think!

​Here's some ideas:

1. Avoid yelling
   1. This is a hard one. Although teachers aren't looking for an opportunity to yell, one always seems to arise. Students can get unruly, especially towards the end of the day and you end up yelling at them to quiet down or to get their attention more than once. Try to use nonverbal actions to get their attention instead. Clapping your hands, blowing a whistle (my favorite idea), turning the lights on and off, or raising your hand.
2. ​Use good breath support
   1. When you're speaking concentrate on getting good breath support. If you run out of air, don't​ force yourself to continue speaking! Take frequent pauses and breaths during your lessons.
3. Relax
   1. Keep your neck and jaw as relaxed as possible while you're speaking. Don't strain your muscles when you're trying to teach a lesson.
4. Stop throat clearing!
   1. Throat clearing causes excess wear and tear to your vocal folds. It causes irritation and swelling that can actually cause​ saliva to sit on your throat, resulting in more throat clearing. A vicious cycle will begin. When you feel the need to clear your throat try swallowing hard or taking small sips of water. You can also try to clear your throat silently by saying "huh". If you have excess mucus build up talk to your doctor about different medication options.
5. ​Use a sound amplification system while teaching
   1. Now, most of my teacher friends have stood in front of a large group and said "You can hear me all the way back there can't you? I don't need a microphone, I'm loud enough without one!" Although it may be true that you have excellent projection skills, our voices weren't meant to handle that constant strain all day long for an entire school year! Use the mic!
6. Instead of whispering use a "confidential tone"
   1. Whispering is an unnatural volume for us to use. Instead try lowering your voice and changing the tone you use to get the same effect
7. Try to be within three feet of your listener while speaking
   1. This isn't always possible in large classrooms, but trying walking around the room and between the rows of desks while teaching. This way your voice makes its way to every student without causing too much vocal strain.
8. Build periods of vocal rest into your day
   1. Not everyone is blessed with a planning period to rest during. If you have a planning period, try not to use your voice during that time and give it the rest it deserves. If you don't have a planning period, you need to build in rests elsewhere. Cut out singing in the shower or car and incorporate times in your lessons where the students are working on a silent activity.
9. Be aware of your environment
   1. Air-conditioned rooms and dusty areas can dehydrate you and impact your voice. If you have the ability to control the temperature in your classroom try to keep it room temperature. Promoting good ergonomics in your classroom can also have a positive impact on your voice; maintain good posture and avoid excess tension. Re-arrange your room to achieve this. Also, using partitions in your room for better acoustic protection from background noise will decrease the volume you need to use to be heard. Lastly, invest in a humidifier. Humidifiers work to put moisture back in the air, use one every school night when you go to bed.
10. Stay hydrated!
    1. Carry water with you throughout your day. Vocal dehydration can come from prolonged talking and even too much caffeine intake. Take small sips frequently rather than chugging down a large amount at once. Replace your coffee, teas, and sodas with water.

​Put these 10 tips into practice this school year and see if it makes a difference in your quality of voice!

​For more information on the voice check out my pages below!