11- Losing Voice

I’m losing my voice. No one ever told me how difficult it was going to be to talk all day long. I’m hoarse and my throat hurts. I can’t make it through half the day before pain seeps into my throat. I must have a weak voice. I make an effort to never yell or raise my voice in class, but still find myself in pain.
I spent the second half of today practicing speaking in different tones and pitches. The kids probably think I’m nuts, the way I keep lowering and raising the volume of my voice. I even tried singing part of a lesson. I’m going to look into getting one of those microphones that some teachers use.
During my planning period, I went to the cafeteria in search of a cup of honey tea. My mom always told me that honey soothes a sore throat. While in the cafeteria, I ran into Ms. Viamonte. The girl was wearing the tightest blouse I have ever seen on a school teacher; her boobs were threatening to jump out and smack her in the face. (Back in college, we called girls like Ms. Viamonte “sorostituites”- a term that combines the words sorority and prostitute.)
Casually, I asked the sorostitute if she had fun on Friday night. I resisted the urge to inquire about the magnitude of her hangover on Saturday morning. Ms. Viamonte nodded sweetly and told me she “couldn’t wait to do it again.”
Her friendly response made me feel guilty for thinking of her as a sorostitute. As she walked away, I couldn’t help but admire the young teacher. Despite her secret life of debauchery, Ms. Viamonte held her head high and paraded her students out of the cafeteria, emanating the picture perfect sweetness of an elementary school teacher.