Thursday, May 08, 2008

Poof!!! Be gone!!!

Jim Piculas was a substitute teacher in Land'OLakes, Florida. One day he stood in front of a classroom in which he was subbing and performed a magic trick. He made a toothpick disappear and reappear.

One of the students went home and told his parents about the magic trick. The parents called the school to complain. It seems that they didn't like Piculas practicing "wizardry" in class. So the school administration called Piculas and told him to come in for a chat.

Piculas was let go from the Land O' Lakes School District. The official reason for his dissmissal was not following curriculum. Of course, this was probably just a good example of administrative
CYA.

My question is: for how long must we continue pandering to the lowest common denominator? A man lost his job because of parents who thump their bibles but can't be bothered to read a dictionary. If they had opened up their dictionaries, they might have read the following definitions listed under "trick":


  • A ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement.

  • An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers.

I think "naive" is too kind an adjective to describe the parents screaming "wizardry" in Central Florida. The word that comes to my mind starts with a "d" and ends with an umbass. But then again, I can't actually recall hearing the term "wizardry" in this context. Is it something from the Harry Potter series, or perhaps from the Malleus Maleficarum, the handbook of the Inquisition? So since I do believe in consulting a dictionary, I went back to Webster's. Here is the lone entry under wizardry:


  • Exceptional creative ability.

Well, now I understand. Piculas wasn't fired for doing a magic trick -- he was fired for being creative. And no one wants to see teachers (especially substitute teachers) encouraging creativity.

That's just not part of the curriculum.

8 comments:

Pauly said...

I was watching Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of The Rings last night. It was so scary!! Wizards and such doing all types of incantations and summoning big giant eyeballs!! Elves, Trolls and Orks, Oh my! I barely got a wink of sleep last night!

La Sirena said...

That's hilarious.

Actually, you look all wizardy in that handsome candle pic.

Pelmo said...

Only in America do we have so many idiots that are allowed to have children.

changapeluda said...

uh magicians don't suspend my disbelief so too much....

i also don't like mimes.

but that's neither here nor there....

:0]

i kinda can identify with bein' in all the chains and locks in the pic, though.

freeeee yo mind
and the rest will follow....

JoeC said...

Only in America are wizards bad, but corporate warmongers are A-ok.

La Sirena said...

Pelmo -- Only in America do so many idiots INSIST on having children.

Changa -- Yup.

Joe -- Give me wizards!

DAVE BONES said...

ha ha Burn the Witch! Burn him! I can see flaming pitch fork scenes from the Simpsons.

La Sirena said...

I know -- the whole thing is almost funny!