Newsflash: Talking is Important to Teaching

I have laryngitis and cannot speak above a whisper. Yesterday, despite my condition, I decided I would try to teach my first graders. BIG MISTAKE. None of my students could hear me so they all started fooling around and stopped paying attention. Because I couldn't speak louder than a whisper, I couldn't convey an angry or firm tone -- everything just sounded like I was telling them a secret, which apparently is not scary enough to merit their respect. I started banging on things and shaking a jar full of marbles to get their attention. It was pretty pathetic. My voice got worse and I had to go home. Lesson learned: If I can't talk, I can't teach.