Why lockers are better than backpacks

Lockers vs. Backpacks– a question debated amongst students since the invention of school. Some students are big fans of lockers, and some prefer backpacks. Both have plenty of pros and cons, but what do students really want? Should schools even have lockers anymore, or is it best for students to only use backpacks? In this article, we will be discussing the benefits and drawbacks of both.

Lockers: Advantages

The first benefit of lockers is that it helps keep students organized and their books/items safe. You don’t have to worry about leaving your book or homework at home since you have it at school at all times. You also don’t have to worry about getting your items lost, since if you make it a habit of keeping your belongings in one place, like in a locker where nothing can fall out or potentially break (unlike in backpacks), you know where everything is at all times.

The second is preventing your back and shoulders from unnecessary pain and soreness. For your physical well-being, lockers are much better, since you don’t have to carry around all of your heavy textbooks, notebooks, and other personal belongings 5 days a week throughout the entire school day. Textbooks can weigh anywhere from 500 grams to 2 kilograms– on average, students have 6 subjects, so a backpack can be anywhere between 3 to 12 kilograms! Researchers recommend students carry a bag that weighs a maximum of 10% of their body weight.

Lockers also help students develop important skills. For instance, it helps students develop a sense of responsibility since it forces you to take care of your belongings in one space and make sure everything is correctly in there. Likewise, it helps students develop their time management skills since they have fixed time periods in between classes when they can get their supplies for their next class and thus, need to think ahead and manage their time so they can retrieve their belongings and not be late.

Disadvantages

One of the biggest disadvantages of lockers is that they can be too much of a hassle at times to use. Instead of keeping all of your belongings in a place like in a bag, where you have your supplies with you at all times, you have to go back and grab your belongings and put your previous class’ books back each time you have a new class.

Another problem is losing keys. Over half of all students end up losing their locker keys throughout the school year– some even lose them in the first week of school! This is both a problem for students and the administration since the administration has to issue new keys to students every time they lose them. This can add up to be quite a costly and time-consuming job.

Last is money. In schools that already have lockers, maintaining, fixing, and replacing lockers is very costly and takes lots of money from the school’s budget, which can be utilized for other types of funding, like for school supplies, clubs, restoration of other facilities, school activities, sports and so on.

Backpacks: Advantages

The biggest advantage to backpacks is the fact that you have your belongings with you at all times and don’t need to worry about leaving your supplies in your locker when you need them. This also helps minimize the time spent going to get your belongings from your locker during breaks, which you can instead use for socializing with your friends, for instance.

Another advantage is that you have your backpack forever. That means that at the end of the year, you don’t have to take your belongings out of your locker, put the decorations on your locker down (if you have any), and give your key back to the school. Doing this every school year is quite time-consuming and takes lots of effort, and having a nice, durable backpack that you can use whenever for whatever reason (like holding your books) is much more efficient.

Thanks to backpacks, you also don’t have to carry your books, notebooks, and pens for your next class clustered in your hands. This is uncomfortable, can weigh you down, and accidentally ruin your belongings in some sort of way. Backpacks counteract this.

Disadvantages

The biggest disadvantage to lockers is the back pain that it causes. As already discussed, backpacks tend to be extremely heavy. If you wear your backpack over just one shoulder or carry your books in a tote bag, you may end up leaning to one side to counteract the additional weight from it. This subsequently causes pain throughout the back, shoulders, and neck. Carrying a heavy backpack can also make students more likely to fall.

Another is safety issues, including theft and getting your backpack lost. If your backpack is lost or stolen, you’re risking losing all of your valuable belongings (like laptops, money, and phones), schoolwork, books (some of which might belong to the school), and important documents/IDs, which include details that have revealing information about your identity. This can be very dangerous, since recovering so many valuable belongings, whether that be a laptop or a wallet or a book borrowed from the school library.

So, now that you know the benefits and disadvantages of both lockers and backpacks, it’s now your turn to decide which one you’d prefer to use…!

Edited by Mariam Kalandadze

Brielle Alwin, Staff Writer
November 26, 2018

Every high school has hallways covered in lockers that are assigned to every student at the beginning of the school year. A locker is designed to store school supplies, jackets, and personal belongings. Even though every student has a locker, many students do not use their lockers.

According to the student body, 69% of students use their backpacks to store their school supplies instead of their lockers, along with 25% of high schoolers who do not know the location of their locker. Students carry all their books, computer and charger, notebooks, binders, and folders in their backpacks all day, everyday.

Dylan Sward, a sophomore, uses his backpack instead of his locker. He prefers to use his backpack “because it takes too much time to go to my locker between classes.” Dylan’s backpack is organized by putting binders in specific pockets.

Colin Bartels, a freshman, uses his backpack as well. He prefers to use his backpack “because there is not enough time to get to my classes if I stop by my locker.” He keeps his backpack sorted by subjects.

Adriana Olvera, a senior, stores her school supplies inside her locker. She chooses to use her locker “because I hate having a lot of heavy things in my backpack.” Adriana keeps her computer and pencil bag in her backpack at all times while her books and binders remain in her locker until needed.

Rasine Bolek, a freshman, chooses to use her locker “so my backpack isn’t overloaded.” She keeps her computer in her backpack while her books and binders stay in her locker.

Even though students are assigned lockers, many only find them when homecoming locker signs are placed or during checkout on the last day of school. Many students find their locker an inconvenience as the placement does not work with their schedule or they can not make it to class on time. Most students have chosen convenience over comfort as they are more willing to pack heavy backpacks then go to their lockers in between classes.