Do you like it when your teachers run over (拖延) class time? If you don't like it, you may like the new bell at Shanghai No. 8 Middle School.
The school began to use the new bell this semester. It helps teachers remember it is break-time. The new bell has three parts. The first part lasts 15 seconds. It is made up of lovely folk music. Next, there are 20 seconds of silence. The final 25-second bell is a fast-paced march (快节奏进行曲) that seems to tell each teacher, “You have to end class now!”
Most students and teachers welcome the new bell. This school no longer has a problem with teachers giving instructions after call is over.
Chen Yong is a student at the school. He can't keep listening to the teacher when the bell rings, because he is thinking about his lost breaktime. “We tried many ways to stop teachers before, but nothing worked,” Chen told the ShanghaiEveningPost. “It's better now. When the folk music is on, teachers know that class is going to be over in one minute.”
Shen Huimin, a teacher at No. 8 Middle School, agrees that the new bell is creative. “In the past, we usually wanted to add a few words after class. But we often forgot the time,” Shen said. “The new bell reminds us twice. It's a small change, but it's really solving a big problem.”
