Okay Teachers--What is SO BAD about Trapper Keepers (and do they even exist anymore?)

I've been perusing supply lists out of curiosity in different areas of Chicaogo/Florida and I still see the same three words on the list that were on there when I WAS ENTERING THIRD GRADE NO TRAPPER KEEPERS.
1) Do they even exist anymore (or have lists not been updated in YEARS?)
2) WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT TRAPPER KEEPERS? I mean a binder is a binder right?

Discuss

 

A lot of them don't fit into desks with the curriculum books, etc. They are still around...

 

They are very distracting in class. All day long... zip, zip, zip... the sound of velcro over and over again. Also they are big and bulky, no room in the desks. And, If you have a class of theives, they are quite expensive (compared to simple folders).

 

Oh with our visual schedules I hear velcro all day long so that wouldn't bother me but I do hear you on the pick-pockets and the not fitting in the desks....

 

theres too much room in them!
things are always getting lost.

it goes along with the same idea of putting something in a special hiding spot...and not being able to find it again!

 

Too big and too much of a distraction. The zippers, the velcro and on top of that the rings don't hold that much paper (all that bulk for nothing).

 

I really don't care if they have them or not. I think they're decent. Also, my students do not go in them all that much during the day because I set times for them to go through bags/gather up supplies.

You know what... backpacks have zippers... some have velcro as well. The same goes for messenger bags. I don't care what the students use as long as they remain organized.

 

Many middle and high schools here don't allow bookbags in class so I imagine the trapper keepers are a no no becuse "things" can be brought into class that shouldn't be....weapons tops my list.

Still, those items shouldn't be brought into the school either.c

I wonder if any one knows the reason.

I bought my daughter a wonderful trapper keeper (zippered Binder) with a shoulder strap and carrying handle...has an accordian file inside too!!! Ok...I got myself one too!! I love 'em!

 

Oh I didn't think about that. I wish we had the clear bookbags the high schools do. I always see "CURIE" ones on Roosevelt bus if I take that bus. I have had to many books/items pickpocketed by the three-year-olds.....

 

Ahhhh! They are very large, bulky, and NOISY...

I have volunteered in the classes with students having them, and I want to take them away after just a few times...

 

I didn't ralize that they were forbidden with the exception of the younger students.

I personally think that they are perfect for middle school and high school as they can carry their supplies in it. BUT, I also teach in a school where contraband material would probably not be an issue.

 

Wow, I didn't know that Trapper Keepers were such a big deal! You learn something new every day. My students do use them. It helps them get organized. They are bulky, however they just put them under their desks. The noise never bothered me. If this is the worst noise that I hear in my class~boy do I have it made! I allow my students to use them because once they leave our school to go to the middle school, they must use them. They are required to use them because bookbags are not allowed at the middle school or high school. I feel that I am helping them adjust to being a "big kid". My students really do not bother them throughout the day. They use them only on a as needed basis.

 

My students do not have "cubbies" in their desks, so they would have to sit on the floor. Bleck! Things get so nasty that way.

I do not let kids go to the backpacks/lockers during the day, and the noise drives me crazy!

Also, I think that they overwhelm most of the younger kids.

 

Those words are on our supply list, too! Like several other people have said, they are just too big for most of our desks. I don't have my students bring any 3-ring binders at all-only portfolios. And yes, they are noisy. I have the same issue with that as I do with pencil boxes-so we all require pouches.

 

I'm 41 and I remember all the way back to 4th grade- 1976-77- Trapper Keepers were a no-no. I haven't seen any around here.

 

We seem to have the opposite problem in rural VA-some teachers request trapper keepers specifically and they are often hard to find-especially now that my kids are too old for Barbie/Barney/Blue's Clues etc.!

 

I hate binders. There. I've said it. I hate tripping over them. I hate that "snapppp" that they make opening. I hate the cries when they pinch their hand in it trying to close it quietly. I hate trying to fix them once they get bent. I hate them.
That said, I think I hate velcro worse. Sometimes I think my brain bleeds just a little at that ripping sound. The kids learn early that I don't like it. What's worse is when they open it sloooooowly. I even sent a note home with one child who had camp pants with velcro pockets that if he planned to wear them to school again, he would have to have the pockets removed. Yes, it really was that bad.

 

Wow--- Velcro shoes are comming back for both kids and adults--- so it maybe an interesting year for you---

 

Gosh, I remember using Trappers in school. Quite honestly, I didn't they even exsted anymore. Nice to know they kinda do.

 

Have you ever seen what a 7th grader can get into one of those things? They stuff them full and can't find a thing. They don't fit under the desks or in the lockers. They're so heavy it's incredible! They're also great places to stash stuff that they're not supposed to have in the first place.

 

LOL, this post has great timing. The other night my husband and I were watching a movie from the 80's and the kid had a PeeChee (sp?) folder. We started talking about things like Trapper Keepers and my husband swore up and down you could still buy one. I told him I haven't seen them in so long, I didn't think you could. So off to WalMart we went to look for Trappers and PeeChee's. We didn't find either though. Bummer!

 

They really must still make Trappers because I taught at a district where some of the middle schoolers WERE using Trappers.

 

I have no clue what PeeChee is. I may have to google it. I just thought POOCHIE--everything else from my childhood seems to be resurfacing (Cabbage Patch, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite) where the heck is POOCHIE in all of this?

 

Oh my gosh! Don't even get me started on pencil boxes. They are banned in my classroom. What desk on earth has room to accomodate those things? And the worst part is when they fall out of the overstuffed desks onto the floor and the contents spill all over the place.

P.S. ChristyF, your post made me laugh out loud. Your hatred of binders was well versed.