I often notice that many students run out of binder paper or lead. If we were to keep extras in our backpacks, they would get unbearably heavy. With a locker, one could actually stock up on paper, lead, etc. That in turn would reduce the number of times you’d have to depend on your classmates for these necessities.
An average family spends a lot on backpacks. My family, with two kids, buys about four to five backpacks a year. Doing the math, it adds up to about a hundred and twenty dollars to a hundred and fifty. Although it may seem close to impossible to reduce the number of backpacks we buy, there is a solution. Backpacks wear out faster with weight. If we had a locker, our backpacks would wear out less. Also, backpacks would not need to be that sturdy or heavily padded for back support. The non-heavy-duty backpacks would be cheaper. We would end up saving a lot of money on backpacks.
Having a locker requires responsibility, probably the main reason our school doesn’t provide any. Yet, if a teenager were to be trusted with a locker, psychologists say they would learn many skills appreciated during adulthood. For example, a student may recklessly shove their books in their locker, which is very normal. Pretty soon, they’d realize that keeping it neat and clean would help them to find their books when they need them. Also, due to cases of locker break-ins, students would learn to responsibly keep their valuables with themselves and not trust anybody with their locker combination.
Many may say that building lockers would use up too much out of our school funds. I look at it from a different angle. Resources state that average lockers in average middle schools last for four to ten years. I feel that this could be viewed as an investment for our and our posterity’s health. Another reason to disagree with my point is that students may use their lockers as an excuse to be tardy to class. I feel that students may stick to being on time if there were intimidating consequences. I cannot argue with the fact that leaving class to go get something from your locker is rude and disrespectful. Many students may use this chance to claim that their homework accidentally got left behind in the locker. In such cases, the teachers ought to either count it as late or send the T.A. with the student to grab the homework from the locker. If not found, the T.A. would report back to the teacher, and the student would face an even bigger punishment. As for cases of drugs being found in lockers, locker searches are legal and should be carried out regularly. If students were solicitating from their lockers, their locker privileges should be suspended for whatever appropriate time frame as determined by our school.
In my opinion, Diablo Vista students should be provided with lockers for many reasons such as light backpacks, being able to stock up on extra stationery, learning responsibility and becoming more organized. If you want your posterity to have a healthy spine, and soar with the eagles, come join me in persuading Diablo Vista to provide lockers!
