What Do MCPS high schoolers bring each day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am honestly floored the kids do not have lockers or open lunch. Carrying around all their crap all day. Never being able to leave and get fresh air and normal food. That sounds terrible.

"Normal food"? You mean McDonalds?

My kid brings lunch and sits outside with friends whenever the weather is good, or in a quiet hallway otherwise. There's very little around their school to walk to, eat, and be back in time for class.

In a large, crowded school, unless your locker is in between two classes, you'd never have time to get to your locker and be at your next class in the five minutes they have to change classes. At our MS, all the kids had lockers, but it was the same situation: you just couldn't physically manage it. Nobody says you have to carry all your stuff, it's just the only practical way.

Our school assigns lockers to freshmen, but most of them don't (or can't) use them anyway. Upperclass can request them, but there aren't many left over, and most just find a freshman who isn't using theirs and share if they want to stash stuff. Mine kept her lunch and coat in a friend's locker last year, but didn't have time to go in between classes at all.

But it's not like they're carrying around textbooks, like we did in high school. Most kids don't have anything more than a computer and some folders, maybe a few notebooks, possibly a lunch bag.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of decorating lockers. That would be considered vandalism at my high school. The only time to get to a locker is lunchtime. If you buy lunch and need to stand in line there won;t be time to go to the locker. No time after school either if you take the school bus -- you may miss it. Kids carry their coats around due to fire/other drill and they are caught out in the cold weather with no coat. --HS teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of decorating lockers. That would be considered vandalism at my high school. The only time to get to a locker is lunchtime. If you buy lunch and need to stand in line there won;t be time to go to the locker. No time after school either if you take the school bus -- you may miss it. Kids carry their coats around due to fire/other drill and they are caught out in the cold weather with no coat. --HS teacher

You're a hs teacher and you've NEVER heard of decorating lockers? Have you watched a teen movie in the past 35 years?

[Anonymous]

uh, no never heard of it. again, vandalism. I have not seen it in my 2 high schools.

I don't watch teen moves. I watch foreign films and read books in my spare time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:uh, no never heard of it. again, vandalism. I have not seen it in my 2 high schools.

I don't watch teen moves. I watch foreign films and read books in my spare time.

Lmao. Okay. Never been a more appropriate time for "Sure, Jan."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am honestly floored the kids do not have lockers or open lunch. Carrying around all their crap all day. Never being able to leave and get fresh air and normal food. That sounds terrible.

At most high schools without open lunch kids can go outside, just not off campus.

Why do some schools allow it and others don’t? Shouldn’t it be County-wide

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of decorating lockers. That would be considered vandalism at my high school. The only time to get to a locker is lunchtime. If you buy lunch and need to stand in line there won;t be time to go to the locker. No time after school either if you take the school bus -- you may miss it. Kids carry their coats around due to fire/other drill and they are caught out in the cold weather with no coat. --HS teacher

And that is why at the bus stops in 10 degree weather everyone wears hoodies only. Schools are so overcrowded and run so quickly there is no more lockers or time between classes. No one is going to hold their parks all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am honestly floored the kids do not have lockers or open lunch. Carrying around all their crap all day. Never being able to leave and get fresh air and normal food. That sounds terrible.

At most high schools without open lunch kids can go outside, just not off campus.

Why do some schools allow it and others don’t? Shouldn’t it be County-wide

Proximity of eateries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of decorating lockers. That would be considered vandalism at my high school. The only time to get to a locker is lunchtime. If you buy lunch and need to stand in line there won;t be time to go to the locker. No time after school either if you take the school bus -- you may miss it. Kids carry their coats around due to fire/other drill and they are caught out in the cold weather with no coat. --HS teacher

You're a hs teacher and you've NEVER heard of decorating lockers? Have you watched a teen movie in the past 35 years?

NP. I decorated my locker in the 1980's.

OP, MCPS HS kids today do not use or get assigned lockers (nearby WJ experience). For the most part, they will not have books. Get a lightweight coats to carry around, stuff in backpack--many students wear hoodies, even in the winter, instead of jackets.

Recommend a hydroflask/similar refillable water bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New to the area. I have a daughter going to Wootton and we have no idea what the students bring to school. Are bringing lunches cool? Do they bring backpacks and notebooks or use the large binders instead. Do they use and decorate their lockers in this area. Her middle school in another state, no one used or decorated their lockers and she just used one of those huge softball binders. She was hoping to actually want to use and decorate her locker. Do the kids bring their own laptops to school?

Thanks for any help!

My son has:
backpack
water bottle
snacks or lunch stuffed in a pocket in the backpack
chromebook (which he uses for 95% of his work)
a spiral notebook with paper he can write on if necessary
a file folder like this to hold handouts by class:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052S3MLE?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

So much easier than middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:uh, no never heard of it. again, vandalism. I have not seen it in my 2 high schools.

I don't watch teen moves. I watch foreign films and read books in my spare time.

HS teacher here and “vandalism” is laughable. No one really decorated their locker anymore if they opt to have one; however, if they decide to put a mirror or tape up a picture of their favorite band, we’d hardly call it vandalism. You sound like a nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Are fewer students in this generation using lockers? What about in gym class? In middle school, students can't use a bag so many have a case-it zip binder. In HS do they use a binder or carry around a backpack all day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are fewer students in this generation using lockers? What about in gym class? In middle school, students can't use a bag so many have a case-it zip binder. In HS do they use a binder or carry around a backpack all day?

My 10th grader carries a backpack all day, has never used the lockers.

[Anonymous]

Regarding sports gear, I think it depends on the sport.

When our DD plays lacrosse and she leaves her stick and gear with his first period teacher all day. When she plays soccer she carries everything with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are fewer students in this generation using lockers? What about in gym class? In middle school, students can't use a bag so many have a case-it zip binder. In HS do they use a binder or carry around a backpack all day?

They use a mix of things. Very few use a case-it in HS. Mine has some thinner notes, a folder thing, and a chromebook. They are allowed a backpack. We clip the lunch box to the backpack or it goes inside. Its insanely heavy.