As every parent knows, school-age children go to class burdened with ominously overloaded backpacks. What the heck is in there? Lauren John has the answer.
Recently, as an after school tutor, I was asked to teach Silicon Valley kids how to get organized — managing their work space and getting homework in on time. I thought it would be easy. Kids have laptops and i-Phones. Mom and Dad can text reminders. I confidently arrived at the home of a fifth grade boy. I had stickers and folders. I thought we’d be done in an hour. I was wrong. The boy hauled his backpack onto the dining room table.
I dug in and discovered ... a granola bar stuck to the bell tower of a tiny model of Mission Santa Barbara. Under the mission project, I found five math worksheets, and an unsigned permission slip for last month’s field trip. There was an orange, one sneaker and a copy of the "Adventures of Captain Underpants, Book One," overdue from the public library.
“What's all this?” I croaked.
“Stuff!” he said brightly.