Monday, May 17, 2010

Binder 101

It's not news to say that kids are hard on their stuff, but the school binder falls into a special category all its own. They may have the shortest lifespan of anything that doesn't come out of a gumball machine.

Over the years that I've been teaching, our school has struggled with finding the perfect binder to recommend. When I first started, the trapper was popular with the kids because it was light weight and came in all sorts of colors and designs. Unfortunately the whole thing was made of plastic, including the rings, and I don't think I ever saw one that lasted over a month of average sixth grade use.

Since then, there has been the rise and modest decline of the canvas zipper model. These have metal rings, one or two compartments, and several pockets. They zip all the way open and closed and have a handle and often a strap for carrying the massive load of paper they contain. Paradoxically, their capacity is their biggest flaw: a disorganized kid can store a mountain of trash in one of those things without any adult ever being any the wiser.

The binder that we favor now is actually the basic three inch three ring design. Made of vinyl-covered cardboard with stainless steel rings, this binder must be relatively organized to function, and that's why we like it. It's biggest shortcoming has been the ease with which the front and back covers tear away from the spine, leaving behind perfectly good rings. Because these binders are relatively inexpensive, our solution is usually to replace the whole thing, but it's hard to shake the nagging guilt stirred by the sight of a bunch of busted binders sitting dump-bound in the trash.

A few months ago, I noticed some brightly colored duct tape when I was out shopping. For four bucks a roll, I bought purple, neon pink and green, along with some basic black. I brought them to school and started using them for minor binder repair. The kids really loved the colors, and the more binders I patched up, the more obvious it became that there was really no need to stop with small fixes, because if vinyl and cardboard are good, then duct tape, vinyl and cardboard are supreme.

2 comments:

  1. THat is awesome. I love the duct tape idea - and will invest in some for next year.

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