Occupational diseases that teachers need to pay attention to

Teachers typically talk a lot, breathe a lot, inhale a lot, stand a lot, walk a lot, sit a lot, look a lot... Of course, too much of anything can cause illness. Below are the occupational illnesses of teachers.

Diseases caused by talking too much

Studies show that teachers at the younger levels talk more and with greater intensity. Kindergarten and primary school teachers, in addition to teaching singing, writing, dancing, drawing, etc., also have to “shout” constantly to remind and correct many things.

Many primary school teachers and childcare workers feel exhausted, have dry throats, sore throats, and hoarse voices at the end of the day after a day of continuous broadcasting. Teachers who teach social sciences, are homeroom teachers, or are in charge of youth groups talk more than teachers who teach natural sciences, who do not work in homerooms or in groups.

Many young teachers who have just started their career have not been trained in speaking and do not have speaking experience, so after a day of speaking, they are often "weak" compared to teachers who are experienced and knowledgeable in this profession.

Therefore, to ensure good speaking and speaking for life, the education sector has researched and established a regulation that each teacher must teach 16-18 periods a week. However, there are times and places where there is a shortage of teachers or extra teaching and learning, so many teachers have to speak too much, causing sore throats due to pharyngitis, hoarseness due to laryngitis and even... losing their voice!

The break between classes is the “magic potion” for teachers to restore their voices. Thanks to this break, students from young to old can temporarily stop concentrating on stress, continuously and excessively, causing fatigue and difficulty in learning. Drinking a glass of cool water, if there is orange or lemon juice, it is even better.

Drinking slowly, sip by sip, will help your throat feel less dry and sore, and will replenish the water lost from breathing and saliva due to... talking too much. Of course, thanks to rehydration and rest, your voice will be stronger and less hoarse in the next hour...

In some places, due to economic conditions, many teachers still have to use chalk to write on the board which has a lot of dust. The process of talking a lot is also the process of chalk dust entering the nose, throat and lungs causing rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis and pneumoconiosis.

To overcome this situation, there is nothing more than improving the conditions and means of teaching, using less dust chalk, wiping the board with a damp cloth, using dust-free boards and erasers. Places that have the conditions to apply information technology in teaching via computers and projection screens have eliminated the specific diseases caused by chalk dust during the process of standing on the podium next to the blackboard to write, erase and speak.

If you experience a runny nose, headache, sore throat, cough or loss of voice for a long time, you should see a doctor to detect and promptly treat diseases related to your job. At the same time, experts will advise you to find appropriate measures to limit and overcome them.

Diseases caused by standing too much

Teachers in class often stand more than sit. Perhaps that is why when teaching in class, people call it by a very figurative term: “standing in class”! Standing in class helps teachers easily move on the podium and in front of the board to write and erase conveniently.

Movements when standing are also easier to express than when sitting. When necessary, teachers also move towards their students. In classes with all young students, the teacher's approach to students is very important, to see if students are copying, doing math, drawing... or not to remind, correct and correct.

Moving back and forth in a small space continuously seems like not going far. But in fact, if you connect those sections, it is normal for teachers to walk many kilometers during a lesson.

“Walking” a lot will cause fatigue, pain in the joints, especially in the ankles. This symptom is often seen in teachers who wear high heels and especially in newly purchased shoes that are still tight. These uncomfortable signs will be overcome when changing to flat, low, soft shoes that do not constrict the feet.

Standing for a long time, concentrating the body weight on both legs makes it difficult for blood circulation from the lower limbs to return to the heart. Localized blood stasis causes numbness, heaviness and swelling of the legs. The structure of the vein wall is soft and quite fragile, making it easy for blood to stagnate, causing dilation and varicose veins of the lower limbs. In some cases, stagnant blood circulation causes thrombophlebitis of the lower limbs, manifested by severe pain in the legs.

Prevent these diseases by changing your sitting and standing positions appropriately, resting and massaging your feet during breaks. At the same time, be careful not to wear shoes that are too tight, because tight shoes cause poor blood circulation, contributing to the disease. People with varicose veins can overcome this by wearing elastic stockings to prevent the veins from swelling into clusters.

According to CAND