A Florida teacher may have to pull an unemployment check out of his hat after performing magic in front of students, according to reports.
Jim Piculas said he made a toothpick disappear and reappear in front of students at the Rushe Middle School in Land ‘O Lakes, Fla., Local6.com reported. He said he later got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he had been accused of wizardry.
“I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, ‘Jim, we have a huge issue. You can’t take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,’” he told Local6.com.
Piculas said he’s concerned the incident may prevent him from being considered for future jobs.
The school district puts a somewhat different spin on the disappearing-toothpick incident.
Assistant Superintendent Renalia DuBose said the word “wizardry” never came up on the school district’s end. “That was his rendition of what happened,” she said.
DuBose also said “there was a lot more involved” than a simple magic-trick demonstration.
She said the principal interviewed students after the regular teacher complained about Piculas’ performance in the classroom. The principal then requested that Piculas not return to the school and said he “absolutely should not be subbing,” DuBose said.
“The toothpick demonstration was minor compared to the other problems,” she said.
In a letter the district sent to Piculas, performing a magic trick at Rushe Middle is just one of the reasons the district gives for dumping him from the substitute-teacher list. The others are that 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.
Piculas said those other reasons are just window dressing. He said he finished the lesson plan, another teacher knew the students were on the computers and he never put the student peer in charge.
Dear...sweet...merciful...Jesus…
There is NO way anyone can be this stupid. Seriously. A guy does a magic trick and gets accused of witchcraft. I am all kinds of raging right now.
I’m going to send them a copy of Reginald Scott’s 16th century expose of magical feats, Discoverie of Witchcraft. And then go over there and smack someone about a bit.
It sounds like a ‘he said/they said’ argument, and they’re not releasing the details on his termination. It’s very possible he’s just trying to get the public on his side, but without hearing the full account it’s impossible to know.
It sounds like a ‘he said/they said’ argument, and they’re not releasing the details on his termination. It’s very possible he’s just trying to get the public on his side, but without hearing the full account it’s impossible to know.
Agreed, which is my point…
It’s easy to get het up about the crazy Christians, and in cases such as those with the Harry Potter hatred, that’s reasonable.
This isn’t anywhere near that clear, and so a knee-jerk reaction doesn’t make sense.
I don’t think it’s called torture any more, but I can’t remember if the new name is “pre-emptive retribution” or “Special Help in Obtaining Concealed Knowledge from Suspects” (SHOCKS).
It sounds like a ‘he said/they said’ argument, and they’re not releasing the details on his termination. It’s very possible he’s just trying to get the public on his side, but without hearing the full account it’s impossible to know.
Agreed.
Oh, for goodness’ sake. People don’t get fired JUST for doing a magic trick (unless they are employed by insane people). The average American school supervisor, even a supervisor overly alert for signs of devil worship or hopped up on anti-Harry Potter propaganda, knows the difference between a magic trick and wizardry. So either this guy’s bosses are nuts or we don’t know the whole story. Or both.
I’m pretty sure he screwed up on more than one occasion, and now he tries to cover his ass by pointing fingers.
In the words of my late Gramps:” He who points one finger at someone, points three fingers at himself”....or something like that. (he said it in dutch, of course)
