This story of a Florida substitute teacher being fired for practicing “wizardry” is just bizarre:
The telephone call that spelled the end of Jim Piculas’ career as a substitute teacher in Pasco came on a January day about a week after he performed the disappearing-toothpick trick for a group of rapt middle school students.
Pat Sinclair, who oversees substitute teachers in the Pasco County School District, was on the phone. She told Piculas there had been a complaint about his performance at Rushe Middle School in Land O’ Lakes.
He asked what she meant.
“She said, ‘You’ve been accused of wizardry,’ ” Piculas said…
The school district puts a somewhat different spin on the disappearing-toothpick incident.
Performing a magic trick at Rushe Middle is just one of the reasons the school district gives for dumping Piculas from the substitute-teacher list. The others are: Piculas did not follow the lesson plans, he allowed students on computers even though another teacher said not to, and he told the fifth-period student peer that she was in charge.
Clearly just a cover for deep-seated anti-magician bias…
[Via Seeing the Forest.]
In fairness, would YOU want to have a wizard working in your school? He’s a wizard! Who knows what he might do.
Comment by RumorsDaily — May 7, 2008 @ 4:35 pm
The really impressive part of the trick is when he makes his job reappear.
Comment by Matt — May 7, 2008 @ 5:02 pm