Masking-while-teaching tips:

Be comfortable! Find a mask that you can tolerate, plan on "mask breaks" to get some fresh air, and consider getting a water bottle with a straw (easier to take quick sips with a mask on breaks).
Think about projection and hearing. Speak slowly and loudly, encourage students to speak up if you or others can't hear them, and normalize asking students to repeat what they said, or asking for clarification. See more speaking and hearing tips below.
If you think it would help your students, you can get clear masks at the Office of Counseling and Health Services or the Office of Disability Services. A microphone may help you increase your volume without strain- you can request one via the SSU IT Helpdesk.
If you think you might have trouble matching the faces of masked students with names, consider having everyone use name placards the first few sessions.
Plan some down time the first few days of teaching. Being back in a physical classroom may feel like a shift - give yourself a break.
Check out our page on active learning and physical distancing for low- and higher-tech in-person teaching strategies.

Thanks to Dr. Vijay Sathy for many of these recommendations.

No matter what strategy you use, leaning on Canvas for out-of-class communications is a smart move. Weekly announcements, posted assignments and resources, and providing a central space (like a discussion board) for questions and answers can all help alleviate in-class communication snafus.

More suggestions for being heard while masking:

These tips come from Wake Forest University's Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

"Encourage your students to speak up when they can’t hear you or one another. Talk to your students about this early on. Model asking others to speak louder or repeat information if you can’t hear to normalize this behavior. Pause occasionally and affirm that students are able to hear you.
Speak louder (but be sure to avoid vocal strain). Use a microphone (there are even phone apps which will allow you to turn your smartphone into a microphone) or amplifier to help with increasing or improving volume. '
'Speak more slowly. Enunciate and repeat information.'
'Pay attention to your breathing and breathe from your diaphragm. This will better allow you to project without straining your voice. Pace yourself and breathe consistently in order to speak clearly.'
'Try to reduce other ambient noise in the classroom as much as possible. What can you turn off to reduce noise? Have conversations with your students about the importance of this as well (e.g., less fidgeting, pen tapping, etc.)'
'If you use presentations or slides, did you know that you can turn on automatic captions to display the speaker’s words in real time in Google Slides? PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 has a similar feature.'
'Be sure to find a mask that fits your face well so that it stays put while you’re talking.'
Consider using a clear mask."

Verbeke, Kristi. "Masks in the Classroom: Part 2!" Wake Forest University. August 19, 2021.

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