Ruminations on a Friday Afternoon

The more that we learn about what happened at Virginia Tech, the worse I feel. It seems like warning signs were there and some effort was made to avert disaster, but not enough. As an educator this begs the question: how do I tell the difference from a disgruntled student and someone who is mentally ill? It can be a fine line.

Along the same lines has anyone else been mapping potential escape routes from their classroom or am I just paranoid? I noticed that our doors open outward, so we would be unable to block the doors with our feet (as the Virginia Tech student did) or even to barricade them. In addition we are on the third floor so it is really quite a jump. At least the windows aren't locked like one of the schools I attended.

On a happier note, the weather has finally improved here. It is a beautiful afternoon, and I took this opportunity to gather our group together for a lab photo. Our first. It's hard to believe that I have only been here since July and I already have 7 group members! Now, if I could just get some funding....well here's to the weekend.