Remember When Kids Had Lockers?

San Jose Mercury News ^ | May 1, 2002

[Wolfie]

CALIFORNIA'S schoolchildren are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. World history, that is. And math. Science and language arts, too. No wonder those backpacks they carry are so darn heavy.

Concerned state lawmakers want to lighten that load before today's kids become tomorrow's chiropractic patients. Their solution? Lighter-weight books.

[AppyPappy]

What's wrong with lockers? You just bring the dogs in and search them occaisonally. Confiscate anything illegal that you find. If the kids lose enough dope and weapons, they'll quit using them to store bad stuff.

[Khepera]

Homeschoolers don't have to carry books around. Well 1 at a time from the bookshelf to the table maybe.

[noexcuses]

My son has a locker but no time to use it. They cut the time between classes to 4 minutes, and they aren't allowed to go to their locker during lunch as they might disturb other students in class.

[firewalk]

The schools still have lockers here. The students get homework assignments that require them to haul most of their books home.

[Mike Darancette]

LOL - About a year ago I told one of my son's friends that this would be a perfect "cause" - Picture little children laboring under the weight of huge backpacks, little backs bent permently by this Dickensian child labor.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

Sounds like a bunch of lazy fat kids in the old Fruits-n-Nuts state.

[jude24]

High school wasnt too long ago...

I remember having to buy the biggest bloody backpacks out there because I had a schedule chock-full of AP and other advanced classes, and the requisite classes...

my backpack was usually pretty full as I walked home. It was good for a 200 lb guy, but for smaller people???

Often, in high school, there is no need for a lot of what's in the textbooks. Textbook manufacturers put more in, knowing they can charge more for it, but there is no way the school will ever get to it. Ditto for college classes-- which is why many of my classes sell abridged textbooks, and now a lot more profs are essentially writing their own with powerpoint slides that we can DL and print out.

[widowithfoursons]

There is no time to get to the locker between classes so all the kids would carry their books on their backs all day. Here they even outlawed runners on the backpcks (ala airport bags) because it was a danger to those walking the halls. The teachers have now put DUPLICATE texts in the classroom, and now the kids carry almost nothing. Great use of taxpayer dollars.

[CJ Wolf]

they should just put the text books on a cd rom and let the teachers hand out printed lessons. The student gets a slim three ring binder to keep the lessons and then at home he can file it in the big three ring for reference once the lesson is over. Problem solved, no more heavy and expensive books.

[concerned about politics]

would force the state to impose textbook weight limits, essentially judging a book by its cover before considering its content.

That means reducing the number of pages from 5 to 1. That should lighten the teachers....er....the students load, aye?

, purchasing an extra set of textbooks for home use would keep kids from having to lug them back and forth each day. But that costs money, which isn't likely to come this year.

Here it comes. Start writing out the checks, "for the sake of the children."

Vote school choice.

[skeeter]

I consider today's lockerless kids lucky. No naked-in-the-quad-sans-locker-combination nightmares for years following graduation.

[Cicero]

You can argue pro and con about this, but the real issue is whether the state legislature--or even the federal government--should micromanage the schools.

[StriperSniper]

the real issue is whether the state legislature--or even the federal government--should micromanage

.

(Period)

[gc4nra]

"Heavy backpacks wouldn't even be an issue if schools hadn't eliminated lockers in an effort to keep out drugs and weapons."

Ah, for the good old daze when you had to run all the way back to your locker to get your gun, rather than just reaching into your backpack!(/sarcasm)

[gc4nra]

"Sounds like a bunch of lazy fat kids in the old Fruits-n-Nuts state"

Nice liberal knee-jerk response, not clouded with facts. Very impressive!

[A. Pole]

Sounds like a bunch of lazy fat kids in the old Fruits-n-Nuts state.

They are way too heavy and too dangerous for the smaller students. People should not get crippled for life for a such stupid reason.

[.38sw]

No naked-in-the-quad-sans-locker-combination nightmares for years

FOFL!! I'm NOT the only one! although in my nightmares, I'm not usually naked, but wearing a slip and am barefoot, and hoping nobody notices!

[A. Pole]

You can argue pro and con about this, but the real issue is whether the state legislature--or even the federal government--should micromanage the schools.

Unfortunately this particualr child abuse should be stopped. By the government intervention if necessary. I tried to lift such backpack and I was SCARED. I do not want to fight school and risk the retaliation against my children. I want government to force those idiots to do right thing. Sorry.

If the police has its role (you will call 911 rather than fight the crime on your own?) then sometimes the government is also needed.

[Wolfie]

You can argue pro and con about this, but the real issue is whether the state legislature--or even the federal government--should micromanage the schools.

I was kinda hoping that would be the point, but instead a lot of folks chimed in with their own preferred version of micro-management. So it goes.