My backpack! Being a sophomore in high school, I expected it to be heavy, but 45 pounds? Let's make a quick comparison: My little sister weighed 45 pounds at the age of 7!

I think it would be easier to carry around a 7-year-old. My mom and dad have tried to get through to the school superintendent many times. They want to tell him that if this amount of homework load keeps up, the next generation will officially be called hunchbacks!

I have nine classes a day. Every one of my teachers says they only give a little bit of homework a night, with a few days to finish it. In my case, nine teachers only giving as little bit of homework a night adds up to a lot, and I mean a LOT, of homework.

Think about it this way:

9 teachers + 1 big binder = 9 textbooks + 1 big binder. Carry that home every night! How many pounds is your backpack on its own, and how much does each book weigh? How about the extra paper, and everything else you need to have?

For those of you who were thinking, "Yeah right, 45 pounds? Prove it!" well, there's your proof -- believe me now?

Recently I read the articles giving advice about backpack straps and all that whatnot about backpacks. I tried it, and it helped. But to be honest, if it was as effective as I had hoped, I wouldn't be sitting at my computer now, complaining about my aching back, knees and ankles, now would I?

I don't know if there are any teachers on Whyville, but if there are, here's some advice, unless you want your children and your children's children to be known as hunchbacks, please lay off on the homework, or figure out a way to let us not have to carry all our books home every day. Thank you!.

To everyone with a heavy backpack, I say speak out! Let your teachers and principals know, and even inform your superintendents about the health problems of heavy backpacks. Stay strong and don't give in unless you want to be forever known as "Hunchback!"

-PyroGurlz