I've just read a wonderful article in the Guardian by a woman who was raised (along with 2 siblings) by her two totally blind parents. Both parents also had fulfilling careers. How's that for making most of us feel inadequate? But it's also inspirational, of course. And of course (my justification for mentioning it), it's also -- can I say eye-opening? -- for us sighted people to read about how blind people manage. We are (witness the adjective I just used) such a very visually-oriented species, we tend to overlook the value and possibilities of our other senses.

Teachers might like to note a study reported in another Guardian article, about the importance of voice for teachers. Those with breathy or monotonous voices apparently often lose the attention of their pupils, and research has indicated at least 50% of teachers suffer from some sort of voice disorder -- presumably because they're using their voices all day. The suggestion is that teachers should have training in how to look after their voices.

I can personally vouch for the difficulty in attending to monotonous voices. I still recall a Japanese teacher (i.e. a teacher of the Japanese language -- he was actually American) that I had at university. He had the most monotonous voice I've ever heard, and it was simply impossible to keep your attention on him. In fact, most of our lessons were right after lunch, and we were always drifting off to sleep, lulled by his voice. He bore us no grudge -- he knew the effect of his voice on people -- he used to throw balls of paper at us to wake us up!