School Bells
A history teacher wants to summon class with a bugle, but doesn’t have the chops. While brass is fine for the military, bells belong in the everyday classroom.
In 1959, I started school in a small German farming community in southwest Texas with a population of about 350. First and second grade where in the same room, left and right sides. Each class had 7–8 kids. Mrs. Hancock taught both, switching sides smoothly as the daily class chores progressed. Reading, writing, arithmetic. Real chalk, boards, and erasers.
It was fun to hear what the second graders were learning while you worked on your own assignments. By the time we were in second grade — the other side of the room — it was not new material. Perhaps we learned subconsciously from background talk in the classroom.
There were three older kids, two boys and a girl, in my first grade class, all young teenagers. Children of Mexican migrant farm workers. We were less than 60 miles from the border. Those kids were in the first grade primarily to start learning English, though half the people in the area spoke Spanish. I remember thinking I wanted to learn things NOW so I didn’t have to go back to first grade again later! It made an impression.
When recess was over, Mrs. Hancock would appoint a student to ring the hand bell outside the building doorway. It was an honor to be selected. And tacit permission to linger a bit before returning to studies. Most of us were on best behavior so as not to diminish our chances to be a bell ringer. Looking back, there was a lot of blatant manipulation going on but, as I recall, we all loved it.
Third grade was together in a single small classroom with one teacher. Same beautiful bell routine. Everyone had their own ringing style.
Fourth grade came with modern ELECTRIC bells.
Buzzers, really.
Hate em.
FAR from a bell.
If there has been a general decline in the education of our children, I put most of blame on the universal adoption of electric bells in our schools. There, I said it.
