Here at Century Middle school, students aren’t allowed to have their backpacks with them in class, which to me, seems like a stupid rule.
Why should students be allowed to have their backpacks in class? Three simple reasons: it’s easier, helps students remember items, and there isn’t a good reason for them to not have them.
Allowing backpacks, or even tote bags, in class makes things a lot easier. You can put all of your stuff in one place, you don’t have to carry all your items and you don’t have to worry about your stuff when you try to say, wash your hands or go to the bathroom. Putting all of your stuff in one place is good because then you aren’t scrambling at the end of class to gather your items. It also means you have easier access to stuff since you don’t have to go search for it. Not needing to carry your items is helpful, because then you have your arms free for actually important stuff. I’ve also seen kids drop their pencil simply because they can’t carry their pencils, their chromebook, their notebooks, and their water bottle all at once. With a backpack, you don’t have to carry anything and it makes dropping things a lot harder. Whenever I have to wash my hands during a non-lunch passing period, it is always really hard and nerve-racking. Why? Because I have to place my non-waterproof book on a very wet countertop, wash my hands, then pick up the book with my very wet and dripping hands. If I had a backpack, I could just put my book and other non-water proof things in there, and not have to worry about damaging them.
How does allowing backpacks make students remember things easier? With a backpack, you can just throw whatever you need in there. Let’s use headphones as an example. We are supposed to bring them to class every day, but I know most people don’t as they can be hard to keep track of and are rarely used. But if you had a backpack, you could just put your headphones in there and not have to worry about them as you will always have them on you and you can’t forget or lose them if they are safely stored in your backpack.
Why is there even a ban on backpacks? From what I can gather, it is because backpacks are a tripping hazard and students can carry a lot of stuff they don’t need in them. But you can just push a backpack under a desk or chair, and I rather be over prepared than underprepared. While yes, if a backpack is left in a walkway then it does become a tripping hazard but when it is pushed under a seat or chair it is no longer a hazard. If I have the materials I need and more, I can still get my work done but if I don’t have the materials I need, it is harder to get my work done.
Of course, safety is very important and people could even say that the ban should exist simply because it ensures safety for students but does it really? I have a really large computer bag that I carry most of my stuff in. I normally put it on the floor because it takes up a lot of space on my desk. And, similar to a backpack, where on the floor I place my computer bag determines if it is a tripping hazard. And while without a backpack administrators can, supposedly, see what students are bringing into school. But how can they? Since backpacks are allowed in school, just not in classrooms, meaning administrators still don’t know what students have since we can put anything in our backpack to get it into school or our computer bag to get it to class.
Because of those reasons above, I can safely say that the backpack ban achieves nothing other than making life harder for students. The pros of having a backpack far outweigh the cons especially since the cons are easily solvable. Backpacks make life easier and help students remember things. Backpacks can also be a safety issue and can cause students to bring more materials to class than needed, but computer bags, which are allowed, can be a safety issue and I rather be over prepared than underprepared.