Protect Your Voice This Back-to-School Season

ASHA Shares Tips for How Teachers and Students Can Avoid Voice Problems Caused by Overuse

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As staff and students begin their return to classrooms, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is urging the entire school community to take care of one of their most important tools: their voices.

"Teachers, principals, speech-language pathologists, paraeducators, and coaches are among the school staff who are professional voice users," explains ASHA 2025 President Bernadette Mayfield-Clarke, PhD, CCC-SLP. "They often push their voices beyond healthy limits, particularly early in the school year when they are working extra hard to help children reacclimate to the classroom. Simple steps can be effective for preventing vocal strain and lasting damage."

Misuse or overuse of a person's voice can lead to nodules and polyps on their vocal folds, which can be painful and can worsen over time. In some cases, these growths need to be surgically removed. Prevention and early treatment are key to preventing long-term difficulties.

To help school professionals preserve their vocal health, ASHA recommends the following:

Healthy Habits

• Warm up your voice. Similar to warming up your body before exercise, warming up your voice before a busy day with gentle humming can loosen up the muscles and prevent injury.
• Hydrate often. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, which will protect your vocal cords. Be mindful of your caffeine intake, which can cause dehydration.
• Take vocal breaks. Rest your voice between classes and after school. Avoid talking during busy (and noisy!) transitions, when you may need to raise your voice to be heard.
• Don't whisper. It's not just yelling that can cause harm. Whispering can also strain your voice. Aim for a moderate (and comfortable) volume.
• Avoid throat clearing. Throat clearing can irritate your throat further. Instead, take a sip of water if you feel the need to clear your throat.
• Soothe your throat. If your throat feels irritated, try sipping warm tea with honey or inhaling steam to keep your vocal cords moist and relaxed.
• Use a humidifier—in the classroom and/or at home. This can keep your vocal cords moist.

Teaching Tools and Strategies

• Use a microphone. If available, use a microphone when speaking to a larger group (e.g., in the cafeteria) or a megaphone if you are outside (e.g., on the playground, in the bus loop). You can also use a microphone or a portable, wearable voice amplifier in the classroom. This can not only protect your voice but also help students better focus on what you're saying.
• Embrace quiet(er) classrooms. Talk to kids about speaking at a comfortable volume. Turn off noisy classroom equipment when not in use. Use throw rugs and caps on chairs to reduce noise. All of these actions can improve classroom acoustics, reducing the need for you to raise your speaking volume.
• Incorporate visuals to reinforce reminders and supplement instruction. Use hand signals, write messages on the board, or use a picture or a sign to convey messages that you tend to repeat often.
• Change up lesson formats throughout the day. Try to alternate times when you are speaking in front of the classroom with individual work, small groups, and other activities.
• Get their attention through nonverbal means. Instead of raising your voice to get students' attention, ring a bell, clap your hands, or turn off the lights.

Tips for Students

Students are also at risk for vocal problems—particularly those who participate in activities like choir, theater, and cheerleading. ASHA recommends that students:

• Don't shout. Try to resist yelling over other students in loud spaces—such as in the lunchroom or gym. That goes for settings and activities outside of school too, such as during sporting events or while playing video games.
• Avoid energy drinks and coffee beverages. Cold beverages in particular may feel like they're quenching your thirst, but energy drinks, iced coffee and bubble teas, so-called "refreshers," and other drinks that are popular with middle- and high-school students can be dehydrating due to the caffeine content present in these drinks.
• Don't smoke or vape. Stay out of environments where others are doing so. Smoking and vaping can inflame vocal cords and cause other damage.
• Rest your voice when sick. If your throat is sore or your voice is raspy, talk less to let your voice recover. Write down what you want to say, or text the person instead (outside of school hours).
• Use good vocal technique. This is important especially if you participate in activities such as drama or cheerleading. Sit or stand up straight rather than slouching. Take deep breaths from your diaphragm rather than shallow breaths from your chest. Ask your coach or teacher for help if your voice feels tired.
• Focus on healthy habits. Get plenty of sleep, and aim for a balanced diet that promotes overall health. Wash your hands frequently to avoid getting sick. Don't share food, drinks, or personal items like lip balms, which also spread illnesses that lead to voice issues.

Mayfield-Clarke stresses that anyone who has hoarseness or other symptoms of vocal strain for longer than 2 weeks should seek an evaluation from an ear, nose, and throat doctor. They may recommend a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for voice therapy. SLPs can also help people learn better vocal hygiene to avoid future problems. Teachers can even ask the SLP in their school to provide vocal advice or to present to staff on the topic.

Learn more from ASHA at www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Voice-Disorders/.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 241,000 members, certificate holders, and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders. www.asha.org

Media contact: 
Francine Pierson
301-296-8715
[email protected]

SOURCE American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)