Not the time for the uphill both ways speech...

I can remember they built a new gym on my high school building...it was where an old swimming pool was, and that was 2 floors below the main level of the school. I also remember having a class on the thrid floor right after gym, and it was impossible to get from one place to the other. The gym teacher used to let us leave a couple minutes early (when she was in a good mood) in order to get to the main floor when the bell rang to change classes, then we had a shot at getting to class on iime. The people who schedule these things have no clue about time and distance...never have, never will

I had that very thing happen to me. I think I remember it being in the 11th grade. Our school was three floors in a very looooong building. Every class I had that year took me to the opposite side and floor of that building. Oh, how I hated that year! I had to carry all my books every day for the entire year. I never thought about going to the office to see if I could get anything changed. Thinking back, I wish I had. You know, I walked to school from kindergarten through high school. My elementary/junior high school was 1 1/2 miles from our home and I walked almost every day, with my older sister. High school was only about a mile away and I walked that every day, rain, snow or shine. That wasn't too bad except that I had to walk down a pretty steep and LONG hill which wasn't so much fun if it was snowing. I kinda wished my school and my home were reversed so I had to go uphill in the morning and downhill at the end of the day but, such is life. I could only give my kids the "uphill one way" lecture. Still, it had an impact. My kids always rode a bus to school. They have no idea how lucky they were!

They should just digitalize all the books and save that problem. Many kids end up with back problems because of just the situation you are describing.

For sure....and I am sure it never crosses the minds of the people making the schedule.....too bad they don't take things like that into consideration!

The teacher should allow the students to keep their books in the classroom, or maybe tell them the days they are going to use the books and the days they aren't. For sure the teacher can schedule days where the books aren't needed because trust me I might've carted the books to class but there were a lot of times they weren't necessarily needed.

Hello Dawnald. I think they just don't have enough common sense to plan like that. They should spread it around as much as possible to make sure pupils don't have to carry too much stuff around. Bags are designed better now than when I was at school, the weight is distributed better but it's still a pain to have to lump stuff around all day like that.

Yeah, to bad they just couldn't have double books..ones that stay at home and ones that stay in the classroom for everyone's use. It would save alot of back and shoulder aches. We lived up a holler when I was 12 and had to walk 2 miles out of it to catch the bus..and then back in after school.. I hated it.. stupid bus picked us up at 6:15 am and we had to be there 15 minutes before the bus in case it was early..and we were slow walkers..lol..so we always ended up leaving a little after 5 am..and when it rained..ugh!..

I have always thought I had it ok compared to the kids before me and the kids of today. I knew it then and I Really know it now. I was blessed with a stay at home mom, well at least for my first two thirds of my school years.I had to walk in grades 3-9 but most of the time I got a ride.So I didn't have to climb uphill both ways like the kids before me. I didn't have to use a computer to do homework like today's kids .I had a few heavy books but not so many that It hurt to carry them.I agree this not the time to tell the uphill both ways speech. Should Dearra get a rolling back pack?

Hi there dawnald, I never had to walk to school and did so only when I felt like it and we did not have backpacks so I couldn't tell my kids the uphill stories anyway. Oh and you forgot the part about being barefoot and the driving snow and pouring rain. My kids did have to walk a little over a mile to school for the longest time and carrying backpacks. A mile is a long ways when it is pouring or freezing out and carrying those heavy backpacks. I used to get up early every morning and drive them. A bunch of us got together and finally got that changed so at least the kids have a bus here. As for the classes, your daughter's schedule sounds like my daughter's did last year. She said her locker was useless to her and ended up carrying all her books. This year is yet to be seen. We'll know tomorrow. Now you would think they would coordinate locker placement and class schedules....maybe that is asking too much.

Shame she won’t use one of those cases with wheels! Surely you can get some pretty cool ones! It is bad for her back, I know because I am suffering at the moment from a very sore neck and back. I have been spending hours on my laptop sitting at the dining room table which is too high or something…Now I’ve done something to my the top of my back and neck and I’m in agony! Tell Dearra looking cool is not worth her back. The only other thing is having a chat with her teachers.

My daughter comes home with so many books it is unbelievable! She is already complaining of neck and shoulder pains from carrying all those books in her overstuffed bookbag. She is on 12 and that is crazy to make someone carry so much. She has homework every night and needs to bring the books home. I told her I am going to see if I can duplicate some of the pages every couple of weeks so she doesn't have to cart them back and forth. I know you aren't suppose to duplicate the book, but I can't stand to see my baby is so much pain!

Well, when I was in school we had all of our classes every single day. Not to mention during my senior year, all of my classes except for English and calculus were in the upstairs part of our school while my locker was in the basement. Yes, this meant that I was pretty much forced to carry all of my books with me all the time as I had English first hour and calculus was my sixth hour class. I carried them all with me and though it was difficult at first, I figure I burned a lot of good calories that year.

Hi Dawny - I dont really know how things go at your end. But cant she contact any of the seniors who might still have the books. That way, she could borrow those three books, and keep them home for the year. May be even pay some deposit for it or minor amount. After all, up and down petrol charges would be something!

I remember my friend and I always carried our piles of books to where our moms would pick us up from school - it was heavy enough even at that short distance to the sidewalk! They would not have fit in backpacks even if we had them. I would have loved those wheelie kinds back then! I was reading Dearra said they were for nerds?? I guess I'm used to seeing everyone have the wheelie kinds for skating ... heck, I'd rather be a nerd than to have kill my back, shoulders and arms! (But kids, ya know, they'd rather go the hard way than look nerdy). I think I'll have to do the "speech" sooner than later with my little one. She doesn't know how good she has it! She is perfectly capable of doing certain things on her own now (at 5), but lately she's been wanting to keep her butt on the couch and have me get things for her. Excuse me? I told her she could get it herself and that I was not her maid. So one time I did bring her something and she said happily "Oh, are you my maid now?". Grrrrrrr.

How about one of those little suitcases on wheels or strapping 'em to a luggage cart? She can pretend she's a lawyer on the way to court...

oph dawn I have seen these little preteens with huge b ack p;acks and some kids are now using those push type luggage thingies you push in front of uyou. my they must swamp the kids with home work. wow. I can imagine that as when I went back to college as an adult I had some classes way across campus with the heaviest books.that was for sure a learning experience as I was 54 at the time. wow.Maybe for those days Dearra should have one of those luggage cart thingies. might do the trick. lol.