Question:
My backpack is way too heavy, and it’s giving me back pain. What can I do?
– Held Back
Answer:
Hi Held Back!
There are a few steps you can take to diminish this issue. First, you should clean out your backpack. Take a good look to see if you really need everything that’s in there. Somewhere at the bottom of all those papers, are you still carrying your notebook from last year’s English class or a month-old breakfast sandwich? Everything you remove will be a weight off your back—literally. (I do not suggest eating any breakfast sandwiches you find there, though.)
Next, you can pack your school supplies according to a schedule. Don’t have English on Tuesdays? Don’t bring your 500-page novel, literature textbook, or notebook on Tuesdays. Don’t have math on Wednesdays? Don’t bring your TI-84 Pounds. Know all your teachers will be out next Friday? Don’t bring anything!
You can also consider applying for a locker. Just pop into the office and ask, and you’ll be assigned a locker on a random floor that may or may not be anywhere near any of your classes. If you’re that unlucky, you can always leave the books you need for the second half of the day in your locker and only carry those for the first half. During lunch, switch them over. If you’re lucky, your locker will be close to multiple of your classes. In that case, simply drop your backpack there in the morning and stop by regularly. You’ll only have to carry one notebook at a time! Oh, and your Chromebook. And a pencil. And maybe your calculator, and your book…
Come to think of it, you should probably buy a tote bag or shoulder bag so you don’t drop any of those things. If you eventually fill the bag and it becomes just as heavy as your backpack was, then hey, at least you’ll have shoulder pain instead of back pain!
Another alternative is to go for the rolling backpack. You never have to carry it at all—except up and down stairs. Inside sources tell me that this is just as if not more excruciating than carrying a bag on your back. You could petition for all of your classes to be assigned to the same floor to circumvent that issue. You could also fake an injury so that you can use the elevator.
The elevator solution works to alleviate the issue no matter what kind of backpack you have. You’ll never arrive at a class out of breath from all that climbing! You mentioned you have back pain—you don’t even have to fake an injury at all, then! Just go to your doctor and get a formal diagnosis. Ask for a doctor’s note to use the elevator for the rest of your high school years. Don’t forget to bring tons of friends along every time you use the elevator!
I’m sure that, after reading this advice column, several students will consider using the elevator. In this case, you must be very careful of overcrowding in the elevator. Perhaps, eventually, you will have to spend several minutes with that heavy bag on your back waiting outside the elevator door after pressing the button. When you get to this point, it will perhaps be better to brave the stairs with that weight on your back anyway. As for those people with real injuries or disabilities who will have to wait hours for the elevator and constantly get to class late, well… all they can do is ask for a pass, and yell at all of you.
Best,
Dr. Ask
(Disclaimer: This advice was given from a Belmont High School student and does not represent the advice given by Belmont High School. If you have any further questions, email ourbelmonthighpoint@gmail.com.)