Cheryl. Welcome to the group. I too am a teacher! I went through your exact surgery on September 11 of this yr. I was back in the classroom full time on Octobef 21. My speech was/is a bit slurred but understandable it gets better each week. I had about 1/3 of my tongue replaced with the forearm flap. My neck is still a little swollen but also getting better. The surgery will be daunting and recovery slower than you want, but you will be classroom ready in a about 6 weeks. Rest and be good to yourself during recovery! Let others take care of you and don't try to be Superwoman! Get out and walk around during your recovery so you will be ready to stand and walk at school. But don't over do it. Listen to your body. Cheryl did an excellent job describing the surgery. I HATED the trache. It and I fought for a week and I dreaded getting that thing suctioned out......but it helped me breathe so I tried to make peace with it. I ended up needing a second trip to the OR late in the week of my 10 day hospital stay and was glad the trache was still in for that. Other than that and the weird sensation of being fed through a feeding tube down the nose......it was doable. I will be praying for you on Monday. Please get back on here as soon as you can and give us an update.