They sit in rows, one on top of the other, spanning the length of the hallway. They break apart only to make room for a door into a classroom, or maybe a closet. When we first went to a school that had lockers in the hallways, I remember Spiff running his hands over them, almost in reverence.
He couldn’t wait until he had one of his own.
When he finally got one, in middle school, he barely used it. We had a set of books that we had checked out for home use, and he carried something like a Trapper Keeper (but with a zipper) for his class folders. So he never had a regular chance to use it day in and day out. His aide, in a pinch, would help him carry something because his middle school banned backpacks.
That’s not the case in high school.
They still have lockers, but now they can carry backpacks. And the other day I noticed Spiff’s backpack to be rather heavy and cumbersome. When I asked him why he wasn’t using his locker he replied:
“I don’t have one.”
What?!? No locker? How did that happen? I know I sent in money, he says he paid the fees. Why do we not have a locker?
Several phone calls later, and two months into school, he has yet to use his locker. His aide is ready to help him, his shoulders must be weary from carrying all those books. He thinks it’s no big deal.
“I’ll do it tomorrow, Mom.”
The locker will wait.
Shari can be found here at 5 Minutes for Special Needs every Wednesday. When she remembers, she tries to regularly update at her own site, Diary of a Crazed Mommy.