Teacher Wins $225K After Losing Voice

A British teacher ruined her voice while struggling to make herself heard in a noisy classroom—and has been awarded $225,000 in compensation. Joyce Walters developed nodules on her vocal chords and had to give up teaching after working in an adult education center that placed her in a classroom next to a schoolchildren-filled playground, forcing her to raise her voice to be heard, she says.

The 50-year-old can still only speak for short periods, despite months of speech therapy. Her lawyer says bosses at the education center failed to act on her repeated requests for help. "Mrs. Walters was ignored and it has resulted in this terrible, life-altering injury, for which she is owed a big apology." he said. "What makes this case so sad is that this could and should have been avoided." The payout, which the Guardian notes is thought to be one of the largest received by a teacher, was an out-of-court settlement. (More teacher stories.)