When the most important working tool is impaired: dysphonia among teachers.

Once graduated from University, teachers' vocal load will double upon the beginning of their career. Their training does not sufficiently prepare teachers for the vocal demands that come with long teaching hours at schools. The first three years of a teacher's career represent a critical period in terms of vocal resistance. Teachers face three challenges for which a powerful voice is essential: (1) management of the class, (2) transmission of knowledge, persuasiveness and (3) intelligibility in noisy environments. Nevertheless, teachers who develop voice disorders often hesitate to seek professional help. They might think that it is normal to have a hoarse voice at the end of a teaching week. They might even convince themselves that hoarseness is a sign of effective teaching practice. But untreated voice problems increase the risk of vocal fold lesions. Once a teacher is diagnosed with a voice disorder, we differentiate between vocal misuse and vocal overuse. In case of misuse, vocal motor behaviour will be analysed in order to understand the dysfunctional phonation patterns causing the problem. In case of overuse, the degree of the teacher's vocal resistance will be thoroughly analyzed. Guided by the speech-language pathologist / vocologist, the teacher explores his/her vocal capacity, recognizes its limits, and learns to use his precious tool in a healthy manner.