Dear principal,
Dear teacher,

Here, in Belgium, pupils are sometimes relieved to hear the school bell ringing. As are teachers, from time to time. They are all familiar with the sensation of being ‘saved by the bell’. For millions of children and youth, however, the bell will not ring today, even if it is their deepest wish.

More and more children are getting access to education. Yet, on a global scale, more than 258 million children and youngsters are still unable to attend or to continue school.

The Sustainable Development Goals are aiming at pushing the boundaries further and establishing quality education for everybody, anywhere in the world. They will focus on good infrastructure and accessibility, on good teachers and good teaching tools. Those are all goals for educational systems all over the world, both in North and South, East and West.

Studio Globo is a NGO that want to contribute to intercultural and global education for children and youngsters, and to assist teachers and schools in achieving this. Studio Globo believes that education can be a driving force towards development. 

Because of the firm belief that education is necessary to realise change, we want to celebrate the importance of good teachers and good education worldwide. 

Therefore, Studio Globo calls on all schools to participate in the symbolic action Saved by the Bell, a massive ringing of school bells on Monday, the 5th of October 2020. That day (5 October) has been declared World Teachers’ Day by UNESCO. By joining, your school can demonstrate its respect and appreciation for teachers’ efforts worldwide. At the same time, your school shows its support for all children’s rights to good education.

Last year, almost 140.000 teachers, students and pupils in Belgium participated in this action. Schools in other countries such as Peru, Kenia, DR Congo, Colombia, Myanmar, Senegal, India, United States, Guatemala ... also successfully organised this event, including the schools that took up this event as an activity within their school partnership with a Belgian school!

Hopefully you too will join our initiative this year!

Contact

For all your questions and comments, contact savedbythebell@studioglobo.be.

For all your pictures and movies, post them on Facebook

How can your school participate in the action?

Ringing the bell

This is a symbolic action through which your school shows its appreciation for the commitment and the efforts of its teachers. At the same time, it is a message to emphasise the importance of good education, everywhere and for everyone. Make the following arrangements with your teachers and pupils or students:

•    The exact time of ringing the bell
•    The place in which teachers and pupils /students will assemble
•    Prepare a text to explain the meaning of the action.
•    Make banners with slogans explaining the action to outsiders

What more can you do?

•    A double row: pupils/students face each other, two by two, with enough room between each pair, so that the teachers can walk between them. As the teachers take through this path, the double row of students lead them across the school gates, accompanied by the loud noise produced with their instruments. (Self-made) ornaments can contribute to an even more festive atmosphere.

•    A speech: a simple presentation offered, for example, in a speech by the school head, can highlight the nature and the purpose of the action.

•    A parade: Once the teachers have walked through the double row of pupils/students, a parade can set off. Such a parade can be held on the school playground or it can cover the streets in the school neighbourhood. 

•    The ‘Mexican bell wave’ with different classes: The pupils or students are seated in a circle on the playground. If the number of pupils /students is high or the available space on the playground limited, a double circle can be formed. At an agreed-upon moment, some of the people in the circle rise, thrust their arms in the air and sit down again. Immediately, the people on the left of the them repeat the exercise, sit down, and give way to the next group of people who rise and repeat the exercise, creating a wave-like motion across the circle. 

•    A swelling concert: The sound of instruments grows louder and louder. For instance, pupils/students whose names begin with an ‘A’ first start making noise, then joined by the students whose names start with a ‘B’, and so on.

•    A drawing of a giant school bell on the playground can feature as the background for a photograph.

•    Sing a song with all pupils.

•    Take pictures or record a video clip of the actions in your school. Share this on Facebook.