All of a sudden the bell rings, and it sounds like a flat lining heart monitor. That blasted bell is a stopwatch that starts counting three minutes until the next period begins. Teachers tell us stories about that bell. They say that the sound can be annoying and is a vexation to class. This is the first time it has rung successfully. Now BSGE is stuck with this bell as long as it keeps ringing all day, every day. But overall the bell helps teachers keep in line with the new schedule even though it can badly startle students who are not expecting it.
Teachers had different reactions to this change. Ms. Nikkolos said, “They tried before and it didn’t work. If they could get it to work, they’re geniuses!” She showed disbelief, since the bells never worked successfully before. On the other hand, Mr. Anderson said, “I have no problem with it. It’s just getting used to the scheduling of it”. He showed neutrality, neither strongly hating it nor loving it greatly.
Students shared their opinions, too. Katya Spajic ‘22 said, “I think it’s a bit unrealistic because I feel that the teachers should have the freedom to talk after the time we finish the period. Also, it shortens the amount of time the students have in between each class making it hard to go in and out of the stairway in only 3 minutes”.
Mr. Virge Ramos was approached to ask why, all of a sudden, a bell system was implemented. He explained, “we had the system, we just needed someone to set it up. We implemented it to manage time scheduling”.
This bell had both positive and negative reactions. Some people find in a nuisance, others like the reminder, and some are just going to grow accustomed to it. It came with good intentions: to manage time better. Overall, the bell can be a minor inconvenience if the lesson is not over when it rudely interrupts with its somewhat annoying “brrrrrrrrrring!”
The BACC Rag 