Guest guest Posted September 27, 2001 Report Share Posted September 27, 2001 Unfortunately, due to security reasons, some public high schools have eliminated lockers altogether. In these cases, students are forced to carry all their belongings on their backs! Ann S. Lambert, OTR/L, MHSA Senior Manager-Health Care Consulting Baker Newman and Noyes 100 Middle Street Portland, ME 04101 , ext. 148 Fax: alambert@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 27, 2001 Report Share Posted September 27, 2001 Dear listserve members, Perhaps I am just too old, but when I was a high school and an undergraduate student I rarely brought home more than one or two books. In the '60's and '70's it was unusual to use a backpack at high school and most individuals did not use one on the college campus. Take a look at older movies and you will see students carrying only one or two books/binders as they moved about campus. I now watch my high school daughter each day tote a backpack that carries 3-5 large texts, multiple binders, a day planner, calculator, sports equipment, etc. Some days the pack seems to exceed 50% of her body weight. She states that she carries these materials back and forth for several reasons: 1) They are used for homework assigned by different teachers; 2) She did not have time after school to put them in her locker; and, 3) The locker on campus is not secure or large enough for the items. The use of backpacks is an appropriate accommodation by students to minimize the stress of carrying large loads. Thirty years ago students did not need packs. Fifteen years ago we carried enough books to need a bag, but we only needed to sling it on one shoulder. Today students carry so many books each day they need to use both shoulder straps to distribute the load. If students sustain injuries from carrying these large loads should preventive measures target the backpack, the number / format / type of the homework assignments, or the storage facilities (lockers) on campus? I suspect that if a better backpack is designed then there will be a transient reduction in injuries. After a very short time educators will again increase the amount of material that needs to be carried to and from campus and the problem will recur. Perhaps a more effective strategy would be to 1) Empower the students and parents to have a voice in student homework assignments, and 2) For us as health care professionals to speak with teachers and administrators to make them aware of their role in this problem. Sincerely, H. **************** Hansen, PhD, PT Fircrest Physical Therapy Fircrest, WA FircrestPT@... **************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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