Figure 1.-- |
|
A German reader writes, "I noticed a nice photo of a 6-year old school boy in the United States.
My remark is about the difference how the pupils bring their paper work from and to school. In Germany till about 1970 they had 'Ranzen' (this word is in German the same for singular and plural), 'satchel' worn on the
back, made with leather, two forms one for boys, the other for girls. This is true for Switzerland and Austria, too. Nowadays they have "Rucksäcke" (Rucksaecke), "knapsack". In America the children just seem to hold the paper work in the hand, isn't it. That does not seem very practical for kids, running around, sitting on them, in rain etc.?" German school kids seem to have a lot more books and papers to take home. I can not recall in primary (elementary) school during the 1940s-50s not much in the way of home work, but this probably varied from school district to school district. ASaresult the first technique used by American children was just carrying a book in their hands. Another technique was to use a belt or strap to to hold two or three books. This was the basic system for many years. It worled well because the children did not have many books. We do not see European-style book satchels. Gradually as more and more home work was assigned, the children began using back packs, I remember using a surplus World War II back pack in my last year of primary school--6th grade (1954). High school was different. We notice various types of attache cases. Back packs proved more popular. Soon purpose made school back packs appeared (1960s). The school back pack is now an essentially school item.
I can not recall in primary (elementary) school during the 1940s-50s not much in the way of home work, but this probably varied from school district to school district. As a result, the first technique used by American children was just carrying a book in their hands.
Another technique was to use a belt or strap to to hold two or three books. This was the basic system for many years. It worled well because the children did not have many books. We do not see European-style book satchels. A reader recalls, "I remember many boys in grade [primary] school carried books in straps like that. I had one for at least one year. The major issue was that after a couple of books, the friction of the strap was not enough to keep the books from
sliding and eventually falling out."
A German reader writes, "I noticed a nice photo of a 6-year old school boy in the United States.
My remark is about the difference how the pupils bring their paper work from and to school. In Germany till about 1970 they had "Ranzen" (this word is in German the same for singular and plural), "satchel" worn on the
back, made with leather, two forms one for boys, the other for girls. This is true for Switzerland and Austria, too. Nowadays they have "Rucksäcke" (Rucksaecke), "knapsack". In America the children just seem to hold the paper work in the hand, isn't it. That does not seem very practical for kids, running around, sitting on them, in rain etc.?" German school kids seem to have a lot more books and papers to take home.
High school was different. We notice various types of attache cases. You do not see this much at primry schools.
Gradually as more and more home work was assigned, the children began using back packs, I remember using a surplus World War II back pack in my last year of primary school--6th grade (1954). Back packs proved more popular. Soon purpose made school back packs appeared (1960s). The school back pack is now an essentially school item. Many American schools still incourage the children to bring book bags to school. One school suggests that "A book bag is the easiest way to be prepared for class. In it you will keep the items you need like: pens, pencils, notebook, assignment pad, personal reading material, textbooks, folders, and a calculator." Some students keep other supplies like paper clips, a ruler, whiteout, colored pencils and tape. The school tells students that they "... should be careful to keep the bag organized and cleaned out--and make a habit of checking it regularly." The school also warns, "Students should NOT carry ALL their books around all day, however, as that could put a strain on backs and shoulders. It is recommended that students make frequent trips to their lockers to drop off heavy books." Most American schools have lockers for the students, especially secondary schools. This is much less common in many other countries. Back packs are almost an article of clothing for modern American kids.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main Chronology Page]
[The 1900s]
[The 1910s]
[The 1920s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
[The 1990s]
[The 2000s]
Navigate the Relate Boys Historical Clothing Uniform Garment Pages
[Return to the Main American school bookbag page]
[Return to the Main school bookbag country page]
[Return to the Main school bookbag page]
[Blazers]
[Caps]
[Coats]
[Hose]
[Kilts]
[Pants]
[Shirts]
[Shoes]
[Smocks
[Suits]
[Sweaters]
[Ties]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing School Uniform Country Pages
[Main School Uniform Page]
[Main National School Uniform Page]
[Australia]
[England]
[France]
[Germany]
[Ireland]
[Italy]
[Japan]
[New Zealand]
[Poland]
[Singapore]
[Scotland]
[Singapore]
[United States]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossary]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
