Sometimes the little things in a class can make it fun.
I have a low tolerance for noise, (and my voice gets tired after teaching all day). But I have found one attention getter that involves sound/noise. And I only use it for one purpose:
I ring the bell to alert the paper passer to come up and pass out papers.
One (quiet) ring: “Ding.”
The kids love it, and it saves my voice from saying “paper passer, I need the paper passer.” It is distinct enough that it quickly alerts the paper passer of his or her job (I rotate classroom jobs weekly). The kids are also alerted that a worksheet is being passed out.
Note: I have never had a child express or alert me that the noise is aversive, but make sure to assess that the noise does not bother any students with hyper-sensitivities to sound.
