Hi Ashley,

   I totally agree with Ashley.  I have taught in schools without bells and schools with bells.  In both situations there are those rare occasions where kids would be late because of a teacher, but it was no cause for alarm.  In most cases, I would receive an e-mail message from the teacher.  I will tell you that though I currently teach in a high school with a bell, last year in the middle of the year, my 9th & 10th grade choirs would enter the room before the bell and would start their backrubs and physical warmups before the ringing of the tardy bell.  When asked about it, they told me that they liked the physical warmups but understood we had a limited amount of time each day to get everything done.  They came up with a great solution to extend their warmup time, and consequently our singing time.  Sometimes it allowed us to even get through our daily plan with a few minutes of free time at the end of rehearsal.  Also, remember part of our job is to prepare kids for their future beyond high school, and in that light, whether going to college or work, they can live successfully live and move to the next activity without bells marking most of their day.  Trust your kids, your colleagues, and yourself to do the right thing!