Found it mentioned on randi.org, and then hunted it down using the Mighty Google:

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/a ... ryid=79533

From the article:

Someone get a duck, and scales.

While some stupid parent complaint about "Wizardry" may have been the tipping point, let's not skip over this little bit of the article in our haste to proclaim the school district's stupidity.

Sorry, but any decision made with those words in consideration seem inherently mockable.

"It wasn't JUST that he's a space alien, but he was late for work too."

C'mon now.

Or the tooth pick trick is yet another example of him not following the lesson plan and it was the last straw.

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Marauder Harabakc Goat

I did not say that he practiced any kind of "Wizardry" at all. I simply pointed out that the complaint from a parent could have been the point where they said, "ok we're done with this guy." Do you have any idea what kind of stupid shit parents complain about at schools? If he already had a history of small fuck-ups, then it was probably easier to just say, "we're not going to use this guy anymore" rather than enter into a conflict with whatever stupid parent made the complaint.

Please don't read an article like that and then immediately assume that everyone in the administration must be retarded. Thanks.

Defensive much?

I don't recall writing a sixteen-chapter expose' on the corruption and ignorance of the school board. I implied it was silly for someone to be fired "for wizardry", even for the APPEARANCE of "for wizardry".

The super had the chance to say, simply, "Due to recent events and poor performance we decided to let it go." Instead, he said, "It wasn't just the wizardry..."

They said it. I didn't.

Well, according to the article, he wasn't. So we agree.

Original article:
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/a ... ryid=79533


More:
http://www.wftv.com/news/16168335/detail.html?1


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354327,00.html


http://www.local6.com/news/16169506/detail.html


Don't be disingenuous. It doesn't suit you.

wtf... I'm not being disingenuous. He wasn't *fired* for it, as the article states. He was accused of it.

Let me give you another example, from my own experience, and hopefully you'll see the difference.

I am a teacher. Last week I was accused of stealing a dress from a student. The principal, then the superintendant called me, saying, "You have been accused of stealing a dress. Could you explain this?"

Now, I wasn't fired because I have a history of being a good teacher, and both the principal and superintendant happen to like me very much. But if I did have a history of screwups, as this sub apparently did, then maybe things would be different.

Read every one of your quotes. None of them say he was fired for wizardry. Please stop buying the obvious media-spin on that article. Isn't it more reasonable to assume that the comment made about the sub's past history being poor is why he was fired, than to assume that every person on the board and the principal are idiots?

p.s. I didn't steal the dress :p

Journalism isn't exactly quality these days, they leave out all kinds of shit that doesn't suit their attention grabbing headlines, they all do it.

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Marauder Harabakc Goat

OT who stole the dress and why did the student accuse you?

he was only wearing it for a few hours to be pretty \(*^-^^)/

I'm a band director, and we were on tour. The dress was a performance dress, identical to one all the students wear. The dress the student had with her didn't fit quite right-- it had been hemmed too short by the parent, or whoever hemmed it. She came to me insisting that it wasn't her dress, and that I had switched it with her real dress for some reason. When I stated otherwise (what possible reason would I have to do this, anyway?), the student got angry and called her mom at home, stating that I had stole her dress. Sadly, mom is one of those parents that believes everything their child says, and called the principal, then the superintendant claiming that I was a thief.

/shrug. It was weird, and not quite rational, but it happens occasionally. I remember once last year a parent went to the principal angry at me because she wanted to pull her kid out of a concert (which are graded events for the students). I told her she could if she liked, but that as the policy clearly states her child would take a significant hit to her band grade. We had this conversation in the hallway of the school 15 minutes before the concert would start, and when I gave her my answer she began screaming and cussing at me in front of 60 sixth graders about to walk into the concert hall.

Here's the kicker: Why did she want to pull her daughter out? Because the mom had not had dinner yet, was hungry and wanted to go home. Apparently mom's stomach was more important than the 4 months the student had taken to prepare for this night. After getting nowhere with me, that mom went straight to the principal claiming I was kidnapping her child. Awesome!

She came to me insisting that it wasn't her dress, and that I had switched it with her real dress for some reason.

Does the school have counselors? If so, one should be involved. *You* cannot state that you think there's anything wrong with the student (otherwise you're diagnosing which you're not qualified to do, and the district can face serious liability issues...I know any medical problems are sticky-as-hell issues as the districts can be liable for expensive testing if they suggest there is a problem) but what the student claimed suggests a serious disconnect with reality.

Believing another student had switched her dress (out of spite, to play a prank, for reasons of theft)...well that might not be completely unreasonable for a teenager to think. Believing that a teacher had done so? It's not reasonable, even for a teenager.

I'm also assuming no apology from the parent when they realized the dress had not been stolen?

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No-- no apology; in fact the parent went to the superintendant after the principal refused to pay for the dress. After 15 minutes with him, she hung up on him because she wasn't getting what she wanted. Like mother, like daughter.

This particular student already sees the school counselor on a regular basis. She has a huge temper, and when she gets angry she gets very irrational about everything around her. She also lashes out at anyone who is close to her. For example, she got in a screaming match with another student in class on Tuesday. I sent them both to the assistent principal's office, and she immediately turned on me, saying things like, "you are the worst band director there ever was," and "there are pigs that could direct a band better than you" etc (which made me lol! ).

I actually tend to care for her quite a bit; having dealt with her mother before I can see exactly where she gets it from. Usually a few days after each incident she comes back to reality and acts as though nothing ever happened. It's difficult for me to see how she will be able to keep a job once she graduates from high school, but if I can find a way to help I would sure like to.

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I ran across an interesting article while looking for that image.

School orders mom to spank son -- or else
6-year-old suspended after mother refuses to spank him for numerous disciplinary infractions; instead she yanks him from school

Surprisingly, not Florida.

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liez!

As opposed to Mom believing everything YOU say?

It's a pity parents actually listen to their children and take up for them isn't it. GO-GO public school where the parents are the enemy if they don't bow down to the almighty teacher!

11 more days until my son is out of public school forever. Thank god for private schools where the teachers are actually held
accountable to the PAYING parents.

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

I think Fribur would be satisfied with not immediately believing anything from either party, taking a few minutes to get some facts, and then make a reasonable deduction of the truth. You've got to cover both sides, the kid might be exaggerating and the teacher really might be a wacko.

So you think given this story, that it is more reasonable that I stole the dress than that the student is making up stuff because she's angry at me? You're right-- I like to dress like a girl on the weekends, and I just couldn't resist taking it!

I remember your stories about you and your son. I still think you would be hell to deal with, quite honestly, and your assumption that it has to be a hostile relationship where it's "you against the school" frankly stinks. For me, with 95% of the parents I talk to, it's a *cooperative* relationship, where both I and the parents are looking for what is best for the child in question. Stories like this dress story are the exception, not the rule, and whether you like it or not there ARE parents who will believe their child no matter what, and despite how stupid it is.

I AM held accountable to the parents, all the time. I can get fired very easily. But welcome to reality, sir. Your (general you, not necessarily you specifically) kids don't always tell you the truth. Some kids take advantage of this, over and over again.

And your implications that public school teachers suck, and specifically *I* suck are simply ignorant. You are welcome to come tour my school. It does very well with the limited resources it has. It is full of teachers that care, and work well over what they are paid to do in order to give the kids a good education. And finally, you are welcome to come into my classroom any time you like, and see a room with a band program that is growing every year, where students are disciplined and work harder than in many of their other classes and they LIKE it, and where I don't have to beat their asses to get them to do so.

In short, fuck you. You talk like you have no idea how it works, and it shows.

My best friend was (technically is, just finishing now) a high school band director for six years. I've heard my share of whoopers, but none quite like that one.

Private schools do have some advantages, for some kids who attend them. They have the liberty to say, "no, your child is not welcome at this school." That gives them the ability to remove kids who cause too much trouble. Public schools don't really offer the same flexibility and that "advantage" can't be applied universally. I'd rather not try to illustrate what the world would look like if we tried.

And while yes, private schools also have the perception of being able to dismiss teachers more easily, I don't think it's fair to say or imply that public school teachers, as a rule, are inferior.

There's smaller examples that happen fairly frequently. Here's another, much smaller story that didn't become bigger like the previous.

I have a guitar player that forgot about the Jazz Band Concert until the day before. So that evening he told his parents about the Concert, but told them that *I* had not told him about it until the day before. His parents called me and asked why I would wait till the last minute like that, and that he couldn't be there on time.

Of course, I didn't. I had 19 other students who could "testify" that I had in fact told them about the concert on numerous occasions over several weeks. In fact, the concert was listed in the Band Handbook with the proper date since last August.

Sadly, until I showed the parents the handbook, they refused to believe their son could be lying.

Talk about creative interpretation.

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Marauder Harabakc Goat

Then that is what he should have said in the first place instead of coming on here, giving us another horror story about how fucking bad parents are and spewing his own jiz all over the board about how good of a teacher he thinks he is. You really must need to hear it a lot or feel like it is the truth if you spout it off on the internet or some shit.

I particularly like how conceited you are thinking I was implying that YOU personally suck as a teacher when I was doing nothing more than stating my pleasure about my son only having 11 more days left in a shitty public school system that doesn't teach anything other than how to pass the I-Step.

Oh, and think what you want about me being hell to deal with, but when I go pick my son up for lunch, (usually 1 day a week) if she is in her office, the principle comes out to say hello and talk with me. Not to mention many of the other teachers who have had my son or daughter in class that make an effort to stop and chat while I am waiting on my son...

You are so off base about the relationship I have at that school it is laughable. Yeah, I had a few problems, 2 if I remember correctly, both well over 2 years ago and none since. But since I stood up for my son, when he was NOT in the wrong and caught a teacher in a bold faced lie, to you I am the enemy and instantly became one of "Those" parents.

In long, fuck you. You talk like you have an idea of how it is, yet don't.

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

To XKhanx:

Fair enough; my only understanding of your relationship with your teachers is through the stories you tell on these boards (or at least did a few years ago). I will grant you that things may be different than what they appear here on your end, if you will grant me that it's true there are parents that believe their child is an angel when in reality they are not.

I mean, come on-- even a "good" kid like me snuck out when I wasn't supposed to and never got caught. I certainly lied my way out of things a few times in school.

And "horror stories about how bad parents are" are simply more interesting than me telling you about the time the parent was understanding. It's just like the news, really; who would want to read about the time a kid's parents gave me a note telling me I was doing a good job? Boring.



Of course I was angry when you posted what you did. Your previous post was NOT clearly an indictment of your specific school program, but instead sounded very much like an indictment of all public schools in favor of private schools.

Here, I'll remind you what you said, and in response to MY post about MY school and MY situation:



Seems pretty pointed at me, if you ask me. Don't backpedal now. We all know you don't like me much :p

I wouldn't be surprised if I (and other teachers) get defensive about a job that we love. Yes, I'm going to brag about my classroom situation often. Why? Because all I hear from people all around me is how public schools are pieces of shit. For some, it's shit because we always "teach to the test." For others it's because "prayer has been taken out of schools." For others, it's "teachers don't care and can't be fired because of the damn unions!" For still others, "teachers can't discipline their students because they can't spank, so school is chaos!"

None of these are necessarily true in any given school district. I'm tired of people characterizing my place of work, a place I love, and a place full of people doing everything they can to provide the best education they can, as a place that full of degenerates who don't care. My students care. I care. We work. We will continue to work. Don't tell me it's not working, becuase in some places, it definately IS. People need to hear the other side of the story more often.

I remember the private high school I graduated from. They used to brag that 100% of their students go to college, and I used to be impressed by that. Now I realize that there's more to the story. As Leo said, public schools take *everyone,* no matter what the quality of their parents or home life, or even their general intelligence. Public schools work with everyone, period. Private schools like the one I attended certainly do not. Students must be able to pay the $8,000 a year to go, something that automatically statistically weeds out many of the underperforming students. Then, if students get into trouble, private schools can simply tell them, "you can't go here any more." Thinking about these two facts, it's easier to see the complex factors that go into that 100% college attendance rate.

Wizardry should be abolished from society completely!

No telling what kind of damage these wizards can do to our kids with toothpick trickery.

Toothpicks today could be robbing banks tomorrow!

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

I have never said there are not. But from the posts you make here about your students, you make it sound like every kid's parents are like that. without looking it up I can think of at least 3 instances where you pretty much said the exact same thing about a students parents.



Actually, I for one.

I am proud of what my wife has accomplished and my children as well. If they receive some kind of accolade I am not hesitant to post it here, just as you should not be if something makes you feel good about what you do. The biggest attraction of this community is that we can share our life experiences here and suck up the attaboys and rebut the cajoles.



Even though you contradict yourself, I agree. So why don't you take the first step and instead of only telling us about the bad stuff, tell us about the good. The stuff that you say happens that no one ever hears about. Make us believe that our public school system isn't as bad as it seems to be. Make ME believe that here in our own state of Indiana they don't teach standardized tests vs making the kids think. I know it will be hard since you aren't a core teacher, but surely you will have heard some stories from some of the teachers who are.

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

You are contradicting yourself as well. You complain about me bragging about my classroom, but now you claim I do not brag about my classroom .

Here's a short story: I just had a mom email me today thanking me for keeping her kid involved in band. That child is barely passing his other classes, and she says her son has told her that the only reason he doesn't drop out alltogether is because he wants to be a part of the band.

Negative, I am not contradicting myself. You telling us how good you are in the classroom and you telling us about how you had a parent take the time and energy to thank you for having positive impact on their kid.



Good tidbit.
Now all you have to do is learn to put as much energy into telling us the good things as you have into the bad. You spent 5 paragraphs describing to us how horrible the girl and her mom are yet you spend only 2 sentences telling us about something that is monumentally greater.

Kid staying in school because you have made a positive impact on him > Sniveling tart and her bitch mother.

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

Flashback to the thread from 1-2 years ago!

It makes for a funny headline, but I don't see what the big deal is. To be accurate, the school's charge is probably more like "don't do magic tricks when it's time for curriculum". In other words, he was probably doing them too often and wasting time.

The word "wizardry" sounds pretty exciting, but it's synonymous with someone who is performing cute little magic tricks. Much as we'd like to think so, he's not being charged with conjuring fireballs.

Colbert report had a great skit on about this last night, was too funny...

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.