school bag weight

gonker

My 12 year old started secondary the other day. Today I picked her up from school it was hot we walked I noticed that she was perspiring a lot I asked her would I take her school bag from her she said no she was ok I insisted....the weight of it...it was so heavy. When I got home I got the bathroom scales out and weighed it is was2 stone . that is crazy. All her teachers say that she needs hard back copies for her notes these alone weigh nearly a stone. Surely there must be a weight limit for schoolbags and if there isnt there should be. Anyone else find that this is the case. My 10 year old who is in 4th class has a school bag that nearly weighs half a stone. All the kids will have bad backs by the time they leave school..
Ok rant over

Stench Blossoms

Yeh its a disgrace. When i was in first, second, and third year i bought 2 science books because it was so big and too heavy to carry home so i left 1 in my locker in school and i left one at home.

I suggest you talk to the principle about it.

20 Times 20 Times

Well she is only after starting secondary scholl so not yet would she be assigned a locker but she will be and tehrefore anybooks copys etc she doesnt need to bring home will go there

Talliesin

I'm convinced this is why my back is the mess it is now (not that I carried the weight correctly back then, mind).

gonker

She has a locker those are the books she just needs to do her homework. :mad:

Nevyn

Talk to the principal and in you need to bring it up with the board of management.
There may be a way to schedule homework.
It could also be that it will take her a while to know what she needs
and what she doesnt need and that not all the home work needs to be
done for the next day but is assgined for two days or next week.
Also see about investing in one of the school bags with wheels that can be
pulled along.

angeldelight

I'd say after a few weeks, she'll start figuring out what she definitely needs to bring home with her and what she doesn't. I know when I was just starting I was quite stressed about forgetting something or being late the next day and not having time to go to my locker before school so I'd have my homework books and books I needed for any morning classes. Then I relaxed a bit and realised that theres always time to nip to the locker in between classes, even though it's not strictly allowed. Also at the beginning if I had say Irish homework I'd have all my Irish stuff home with me when I might only need my copy and a dictionary, but I was taking the others just in case.

Ok my bag was never exactly light but it definitely got lighter after the first while.

And tbh I can't see many secondary school students wanting to be seen with a bag on wheels

Hobbes

Some suggestions.

- If you have a photocopier (unlikely) or scanner at home, scan in the related pages she will likely expect for homework and review them when she gets home. Leaving the books in school.

- Use folders with foolscap paper. Add to the folders as you write more. When it starts getting big move to a second folder. Explain to the teacher why you are doing this.

- Buy a second set of books (lol.. probably why they weigh so much).

crazy_dude6662

i have a locker and my bag weigh sooooo much, although i am in third year

Victor

Hobbes wrote:

- Use folders with foolscap paper. Add to the folders as you write more. When it starts getting big move to a second folder. Explain to the teacher why you are doing this.

Teachers hate this idea as they like the concept of copy books that can be taken up and returned. Having to deal with individual pieces of paper would traumatise them.

Hobbes

Victor wrote:

Teachers hate this idea as they like the concept of copy books that can be taken up and returned. Having to deal with individual pieces of paper would traumatise them.

Then get a second folder will hold the paper like a book. You can get these. Then just put the homework into that.

pickarooney

They should really just make more, smaller books. I remember lugging the same science book around for three years, whereas it could easily have been split up into three (or six) manageable parts.

gonker

I said it to her about getting loose leaf copies and then getting a binder to hold her pages but she doesnt want to be different from the rest I suppose I cant blame her. I wil see how it pans out anyway she prob is just panicking about leaving something behind well I hope she is.
Yes I agree the books are so thick and awkward anyway and they are in bits by the time the kids are finished with them I reckon thats why they make them so big so people feel they need new ones rather than 2nd hand ones.

Hugh Hefner

For the last 3 years I've been breaking my back with my freakin' schoolbag! only now, in TY with minimal books and copies is my back safe. My mother would always be amazed at it's weight. There were many times when she was unable to lift it properly (she's a small woman).

There worst time was at the beginning of last year when I tried to bring in all my books on the one day. It took me about two and a half times as long to walk to school. Luckily I live only a 12 minute walk (under average (aka really heavy) weight bag circumstances) from my school. I was aching for about 4 days after that little jaunt. Though that was my own fault.

I weighed my bag sometimes and it would always come out at about a quarter of my body weight. I think in America they've made it law that a student can't be made carry over 1/5 of their body weight.

I heard of a study (from Cork I believe) that said that about 20% of students suffered from chronic back pain! :eek: Though I'd take that with a pinch of salt.


Oh, and I've always had a locker which I used well.

greglo23

i recently did a manual handling and lifting safety course. the main point of it was reckoning how heavy a weight was. the instructor told us to address the weight e.g. give it a kick and if it did'nt move easily it was too heavy for one person to lift safely. most schoolbags would be way outside the weight limit for health and safety imho.

Squirrel

I'm in fifth year, and somedays I can't fit all my books in my bag, and it's not a small bag, and that's only before lunch. I never use my locker, but it's so small it doesn't fit anything A4 anyway, so that's most of my heavy books - physics, engineering etc.

Lafortezza

Get one of those luggage bags on wheels? Not cool but saves stress on your back.

Squirrel

lafortezza wrote:

Get one of those luggage bags on wheels? Not cool but saves stress on your back.

Believe me I would if I'd be able to use one, the paths I walk to school are grade-a ****e, layered with stones, it pisses me off cycling them. Just have to grin and bear it

Gaspode

In my opinion the schools should make those drag bags the compulsary items not grey throusers and black shoes !!

My sons bag weighed a ton and my wife was collecting him each day untill he got issued with his locker, recently. Althought I do recall that at the beginning of first year he was bringing home and in way more books than he needed.... in his school they also insist that each subject has a hardback copy book, whereas in my day (I am soooo old) we used A4 refill pads and binders with dividers for each subject.

I am with you all on why there has to be one book for 1/2/3 science/french/maths/history/geography etc... it simply makes for one large heavy book which is also very expensive instead of spreading both the weight and cost over the three years.