Voice. Voice? Voice! Voice...What do I mean when I talk about 'having a voice'? The dictionary give the literal definition of 'sound uttered by the mouth', but interestingly enough, also states,"expression of the mind or will in word whether spoken or written...one's opinion or judgement...one' choice'. (The Concise English Dictionary, p. 1254) Voice can be active or passive, a noun or a verb. The idea of losing my voice is frightening on many levels. Who hasn't been frustrated by periods of laryngitis? Losing one's physical voice, people seek to find other ways to communicate, because having a voice is so very important. If I cannot speak, I may write or sign or act. But what if I lose my voice defined as my 'choice', as expression of my mind, my opinion or judgement? What are my options then? As teachers, we must ask,'What are our student's options?' In the classroom, I have not seen children lose their physical voice (though it happens, I am sure.) I have listened to many children who have lost their voice within the classroom and within their lives. These are children who were once bubbling with voice and then learned the world is a little safer for them if they sit down and remain silent. How does this change? A wise man told me something that stuck. "In order to have a voice, someone needs to listen." In order to have a voice, someone needs to listen. In order to have a voice, I need to listen. I had to think on that sentence. It's so beautifully simple, yet profound. Let's make conscious efforts to truly listen to our students, to each other. I'm convinced we'll be richer for it.
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