I suppose morning DJ is right out, but your assertion that you can’t teach is completely wrong. The previous posters have given you solid advice, my wife and I have both taken courses online and never had to speak to anyone. If your typing is up to par you can do real time closed captioning, there’s also legal and medical transcription though I think those would be a waste of your talent.
You’re not as limited as you may think right now. You want to teach, so get out there and teach!
Teaching at a school for the deaf seems like a good idea. I know there’s one in Hartford Connecticut and also that university in Washington, DC.
Olathe Kansas is home to the Kansas School for the Deaf and therefore, has a sizable deaf community.
Because of that some businesses have branches where basically everyone who works there is deaf. Also the local WalMarts and other stores cater to them like having deaf cashiers.
So you might be better off talking to your local deaf community and see what people do.
A friend of mine suffered an injury several years ago that rendered her close to mute (she can’t speak above a soft whisper). She works in the security department at an Amazon fulfillment center, where, as I understand it, a lot of the communications are done via messaging and texts, anyway. She’s started to learn ASL, but otherwise uses a tablet, on which she types out messages, if she needs to quickly communicate with her colleagues.
One thing she’s run into is that, while her co-workers understand that she’s mute, a number of them assume that she’s also deaf. “I can hear you just fine!”
I keep forgetting you are from that area. My parents moved us all to Olathe when I was little so that my sister to go to that school. And her husband and son also went to KSD.
Seriously, though, KSD needs teachers. The whole world needs teachers!
Maybe I should wait for the “Ask the mute” thread, but how quiet are you if you “forget” and try to talk? Like, can you sorta whisper or produce a modulated hiss?
It’s a bit removed from teaching, but I know the legal field has plenty of jobs for number crunchers and writers, even trainers at the bigger firms–jobs ranging from actual lawyers to all sorts of support staff. As a case manager I can go for days without saying anything in an official capacity. Were I totally voiceless my boss could deal with the clients. It would be a minor inconvenience for him compared to the amount of work I get off his desk.
Sometimes when contacting Dell for service on a computer, I’ve interacted with them entirely via web chat. I think the people I’m talking to are overseas (and this may be a way to avoid complaints about accents) but that sort of thing might work for you.
(But as a qualified teacher, it’s probably not the best use of your skills and training. As suggested, a teaching job at a school for the deaf might be just right.)
I still do that, but it’s very temporary work. Most of it is from spring until early summer and then perhaps some in the fall. It’s a great way to bring in extra money, but isn’t something you can rely on for full time income.
My SIL has done that. It’s periodic contract work and they’re very picky about who they hire.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen any reference to Vocational Rehabilitation. Any college will have someone who’s involved with that, especially a community college.
I was going to say “the perfect wife”
(slap Ow! Runs away) but I think the OP is a man.
But all kidding about a horrifically unfunny situation aside, Pabstist that truly sucks. It’s a life altering operation. Did they provide/encourage any counseling before you underwent it?
That reminds me of Roger Ebert’s experience with something sort-of-similar. He underwent oral surgery for cancer, with the expectation that he would be able to speak and eat normally after recovery. Instead, part of his jaw was removed and he was mute and unable to eat normally from then on. I remember reading something he said about how if he knew that was going to be his last meal, he would have eaten something better.
I once suffered laryngitis right before a major negotiation. My bosses were convinced I would be unable to get through it.
I just beefed up my slides, including an opener that explained the situation. I whispered throughout the discussions, and it went very successfully. In fact, I would say that I was interrupted less than ever before and had everyone’s full attention every time I spoke.
I don’t know if that could be sustained 8 hours a day through a whole school year though.
I also had a colleague with a tracheotomy who spoke with a special gadget. (is"prosthesis" the right word for that?) Anyway, it didn’t sound like a human voice but I never had any difficulty understanding him.
With your educational knowledge plus art skills, designing corporate training programs could be a very lucrative career. Also designing text books and computer based training. Look for “educational designer” positions at any local government contractors. If none are local, it’s the kind of thing that can be done remotely.
If you love teaching and don’t want to give it up then I would urge you to look into medical devices that would support your communication. If Stephen Hawking could give lectures you certainly can.
Good luck. I’m so sorry that you having to go through this.
Acouple of resources:
Do you have any second language skills. My wife is a professional translator, worked from home before she retired and did very well. She never had to talk to anyone.
Thanks, some interesting ideas. The problem is, my wife and I plan on staying here until the end. In rural Vermont. And I really don’t want to be attached to a computer for work.
I just cannot imagine how to teach somebody to draw or paint online, not in person in real time. It’s the opposite of all my education background.
I’d really love to not have to deal with other humans at this point in my life. Just go to work, get r’ done, and head home for some beers.
It’s weird how when people find out I can’t talk, they suddenly start speaking slow and loud, as if I was deaf. I’ve even had a few people start using sign language.
Another limiting factor I have is my tracheotomy tube. Stupid thing goes about 3 inches into my neck, and sticks out about a 1/2 inch. For whatever reason, all day I am coughing and wheezing, and have to take it out and clean it every few hours. Sometimes I just sporadically cough, and a giant gross snot flies out and lands on something. Oops, sorry no control over it. So working with the public is kind of out for the near future. I went grocery shopping today, and had to go out to my car 3 times because I couldn’t stop coughing up crap.
And then there’s my nose, which for some reason occasionally turns into a faucet stuck in the on position. When this happens I can go through a dozen kleenex in 20 minutes. I’ve also lost my sense of smell, which I guess is bad somehow.
So even if I could speak, my body is a disgusting, uncontrollable mess. I just want to work by myself. It’s too bad the fine art market sucks these days and when you sell a painting you can actually lose money.
Security guard work might be another option. If you are the only security guard on patrol during the night shift you probably would not have to interact much with other people. My husband used to be a security guard at a museum and would often work alone at night.
Maybe factory work on an assembly line would be another option.
That’s really going to be your most limiting factor. The category “jobs that don’t use a computer” is darned narrow these days, and almost exclusively includes jobs that require one-on-one interaction.
It sounds as though you are still healing and becoming accustomed to your new configuration. How much time can you afford to give yourself? I would say take year if it’s feasible, (I know very few people can afford to) and work with a speech pathologist.
Are you near Copley Hospital?
The trach tube, as I understand it, actually makes it easier to find/use a speech prosthesis. I can’t see why you wouldn’t expect to be talking again in the near future?
Not working is fine for right now, like I said I make more on disability then I did substituting.
Never heard of Copley Hospital. Everything I do is at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire. They offer the same services, so might as well stay there.
Of course my tracheotomy is weird. It’s very low, because they had to remove part of my breast bone. So the docs are taking a wait and see approach to see how it heals.
I love my online jobs, especially Amazon Mturk. They have jobs that require a mic but it’s up to you what kind of jobs you pick. You just micro-contact quick jobs and the pay generally comes within a few days for each job. I do lots of research surveys and game testing, help teach AI, and my favorite now is cam watching at Glacier Lake looking for smoke in their 13 forest cams. It’s not a lot of money but some weeks are better than others. You can make a lot more if you like transcribing. One of my friends makes about 500 a week because he is really good at audio transcription but I have some auditory processing issues that make it hard to follow what people are saying. I also do a few other online sites but Amazon is the best for me so far because I’m not a fast typist nor do I want to do anything that involves a phone. There’s a lot of phone app testing jobs too. You may even qualify for more jobs because of your experience teaching. I just tested for a requester looking for people to help with some sort of academic testing. I didn’t do well enough for the qualification though so I didn’t learn the details.
I popped in to suggest online teaching as an option - it would seem to be a perfect choice. Of course if the OP has only done subsitute teaching, s/he might not have the credentials to get such a job.
Proofreading / editing and the like certainly are jobs that could be done freelance, but as others noted, might be a bit on the lonely side. Ditto tech support / customer support done via chat window.
Medical transcription might be an option also - I don’t know whether it pays enough to be worthwhile, and I gather there’s some certification required, but you could certainly look into it.
Whatever you wind up doing, I think the idea of learning sign language is a dandy one. It’ll be a useful tool at a minimum, and might open up some job opportunities.