I tried to make a call on my iPhone this morning but I couldn't hear anything until I switched to speakerphone. Fortunately, when I changed the ringer volume I saw that it thought my headphones were still plugged in.

A quick google search offered some solutions...

• turn phone off and on (tried it but did not work)
• plug in headphones and remove them again (tried it, didn't work)
• plug in headphones and remove 10 times real fast (tried it, didn't work)
• clean socket out with q-tip and rubbing alcohol (didn't have tools available, and really don't feel like taking that risk)
• use compressed air (didn't have any available)

So there I was with nothing working. As I walked back into my classroom, I noticed that the hotel had coffee stir straws in the back of the room. I decided to give it a try. I shoved a plastic coffee stir straw in the headphone socket, and pulled it out, and voila it worked. I don't know what the issue was, or how the straw fixed it, but it worked.

I'm happy again.