It has become time to finally address one of the greatest mysteries of the ages. As a parent and a teacher, I have often pondered the seemingly bottomless depths of the backpack. I am amazed daily at the sheer quantity of items students pull out of their backpacks. I have literally stood and stared in amazement as I watched a student pull books, papers, a change of clothes, food, soda, homework, a couple of stuffed animals, and a blanket out of one ordinary backpack. I suspect Dora may be on to something. These kids keep everything in there.
The scary, mysterious part of this puzzle is more than just how much kids are able to cram into one backpack. The true mystery is: what happens to the things in there that simply….disappear? Where do those things go? It is reminiscent of the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon. Last week, for example, my youngest son brought home a note for a trip. I dutifully signed it, and saw it placed eagerly into the backpack to be delivered to the teacher first thing the next morning. Imagine my surprise and dismay to learn about the disappearance of yet another paper! They searched everywhere, frantically, with my son becoming more upset with each passing moment. We filled out the paper over again, and sent it one more time. Luckily, that time the paper made it.
However, this caused me to recall other instances of items mysteriously disappearing. My students have been known to come to class empty-handed, solemnly informing me of the disappearance of their homework that was in the backpack. “I promise, Mrs. Moore. I put it in there! I did!” I confess to feeling some skepticism in the past when students came to me with this particular excuse.
Now, however, I have begun to wonder.
Let us examine the evidence:
- An inordinate number of items fit inside an ordinary backpack. (No, it is not stretchy.)
- Things have appeared in backpacks and kids didn’t know where they came from. (“Wow, where did that cd player come from?”)
- Things placed into the backpack mysteriously vanished. (I have witnessed this phenomena first hand.)
So, you make the call. Is it a backpack, or is it a black hole? Is it a supernatural phenomenon? Should we blame aliens? Or is it the result of exposure to Dora and her song about the backpack? Whatever the answer is, it will surely continue to puzzle parents and teachers until someday…somehow…some brave soul will solve the mystery of…..the backpack.
Christine Moore currently holds a degree from Howard Payne University and is actively working toward a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Married with four children, Christine teaches 6th grade reading in Brownwood and has been working in education at various levels for the past 14 years. Her husband, Jeremy, owns a local company that specializes in web design, custom computer builds, and on-location repair called DreamSoft Design at www.dreamsoftdesign.com. Christine welcomes your questions and comments and would love to hear from you!