It’s that time of year again and teachers everywhere are working hard to make themselves heard above the roar of the students. I know I’ve written about this before, but this year, the problem has been aggrevated by the cuts in education. Many teachers have even more kids in their classes than ever. This means that there is more noise to speak over and less time to be patient. The risk of hoarseness and laryngitis is real, even chronic laryngitis is entirely possible. But most teachers will not get help. They will keep speaking and yelling when their voices are tired or hoarse, get some rest over night and return to do it again the next day. Not only does this represent a health risk to teachers, but it also represents a risk to our children’s education. A study in the Journal of Voice showed that children’s comprehension was negatively effected by a teacher’s dysphonic voice. So, isn’t it time we seriously addressed this issue? I’m just sayin’…..
I was very sad to hear of the death of Mary Travers on Wednesday. An icon of at least two generations, she will be remembered for her low, creamy voice, her straight blond hair and “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”
Today, I thought about her while walking and it occurred to me that while I loved her songs, I never thought there was very much exciting or passionate about her. However, in reading an article about her in the Huffington Post, I was surprised to be reminded that she walked beside Martin Luther King in a peace march. It now occurs to me that we may not even know how celebrities and cultural icons effect us. As I think about her, I realize that, unbeknown to me at the time, she represented three very important things to me:
1. A woman who was strong. So strong that it took two men to stand up with her and sing the songs!
2. A singer who was also a leader. After visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, i now have no doubts that it took true courage to lend your voice to cause of freedom in the sixties, which she did.
3. She taught us to sing along. Those same songs that were sung in Hootenanies in the 60′s and 70′s are still sung in schools today and we all sing along.
Mary Travers, thank you for your gifts to all of us. May you rest in peace.
