Stranger Fruit

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Posted by John Lynch on February 14, 2008
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Those of us who teach can imagine what would be like. A lecture hall full of students. Some eager to learn, some who couldn’t care less. Some still in their teens, some returning to college after many years. All vibrantly human. And then the unthinkable happens, as happened today in Northern Illinois University.

After Virginia Tech, I walked into my lecture theater and looked at the 140 students. And then looked at the exits. For the first time I looked at the exits. That moment, searching for potential escape routes, has stayed in my mind’s eye. It is particularly strong tonight.

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Comments

  1. #1 John S. Wilkins
    February 14, 2008

    Amen. I’m starting to feel like a Black Ops soldier…

  2. #2 Ick of the East
    February 15, 2008

    Something very strange…

    You have always reminded me very much of an Irish communications professor I had many years ago at Northern Illinois.
    His lectures were given in that auditorium where the shooting took place.

    Yikes.

  3. #3 SWT
    February 15, 2008

    Yes.

    What’s burned into my memory is the end of class the day after Virginia Tech, when I spent the last ten minutes of class discussing the murders and my students’ reactions.

    Some memories are amazingly vivid; I suppose this is become some things should never be forgotten.