The BBC's report of a "bat box" being investigated by bomb squad was not a case of mistaken identity (it looked like a bomb!
) but fear-induced over-sensitivity (terrorists want to blow-up the UK ... it might be a bomb!
)
Oddly, something similar's happening where I work: several people have commented to me recently (post-Virginia Tech. and UK knife attacks) that it's only a matter of time before a member of staff is seriously injured
. Is that an exaggerated concern? We have seen an apparent rise in aggressive behaviour by students but will it escalate to the point where weapons are involved or permanent harm is done? I hope not — we have administrative staff in vulnerable positions (evidence: most student-facing office redesigns incorporate mechanisms to keep students physically separate from staff. How long 'til we have glass screens and speakerphones?) and lecturers in solo offices (like me) seem most vulnerable to attack.
Personally I don't feel under threat,. Perhaps I'm just naïve, but I can't envisage one of our students pre-meditatedly attacking me over a failing grade or harsh feedback. However maybe we do need better/more/some! training in dealing with stressful situations: impulse attacks are less to be feared if you can defuse the situation.
I hope we don't end up with metal-detectors: whilst you might feel safe being assured that students aren't carrying weapons, a person who might have been willing to pull a knife in a difficult situation is just as likely to grab a stapler, letter-opener, etc ... blimey, a pen can be an effective weapon and we want students to have them!
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