Reflections- Voice Amplifier Addition

Voice Amplifier

So I have a disability.  About a year ago I have developed nodules on my vocal folds.  Bad enough that surgery will always be looming in the background and it has been suggested by doctors and rehab specialists I document myself as a disabled incase I have issues with employment over my voice in the future.  That is a lot to take in, especially since I want to become a teacher.  That is very scary.  The idea of labeling myself as a disabled is very discomforting as well.  I don’t feel disabled; I just sound like a chain smoker, big deal.  But it is a big deal.  I have been fortunate to try new forms of rehabilitation that has gotten myself to the point where I can speak most days without pain, but teaching has proven to be very difficult, and calling across space?  Forget about it. 

For those of you who are not familiar with nodules, nodules are calluses on my vocal folds.  The are fluid filled sacs on the delicate skin issue used to articulate sound.  When you develop these calluses, the skin folds are no longer able to make proper vibrations and are no longer able to make a seal against each other.  As a result, on a bad day I sound like a cross between a 13 year old boy with ranging hormones and a 70 year old chain smoker.  On a good day I sound like a jazz singer with no talent in singing.  The sound is not the only problem.  The volume of my voice has dropped dramatically and when inflamed or stressed it becomes physically painful to speak at all.  Whoopie.

How on earth to I combat this issue while trying to become a teacher?  Well I can tell you that ignoring it certainly didn’t work.  Once I finally got over being stubborn and reluctant, I bought myself an MR2100 AKER (warning- all directions are in Chinese).  What is that?  It is a delightful voice amplifier that allows me to whisper but still be heard 150m away at the poor old chap that was trying to sneak off behind the storage bin during the morning run.  I was timid about it at first, I did not like to carry equipment to help me.  It solidified the fact that I am a “disabled” and darn it, I carry enough equipment on my person during P.E. class as it is.  Receiving dislike from my students was honestly a slight problem for me as well.  I did not know how students were going to react with it.  Well met me tell you.  I finally bought it, and I will never teach a class again without it.  The kids LOVE it.  The first day I walked out to role, every student looked wide eyed at my shiny new toy with its hip speaker and snazzy head set microphone.  Playing it off like to was no big deal students received their lesson that day in the form of touring the Amazon of the middle school’s grass field, complete with the classic “please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle until you have come to a complete stop” routine.  Students can hear me now, I can call across space to the farthest reaches of my class with no problem at all.  If a piece of instruction was forgotten to be mentioned in class, just freeze them with the whistle, announce it to the field, and have everyone resume without having to call the class in.  I love it!  The best part is, I go home at the end of the day feeling like a normal person and not like I had someone run sandpaper down my throat.  It gives me piece of mind that a “disability” such as this will not hinder what I have set out to do- teach.   

My new best friend!!