Idiocy in Florida
Published by Deanna Hoak May 6th, 2008 in blogGlorious. I always enjoy being ashamed of the state in which I reside.
A substitute teacher has been fired for “wizardry” after doing a magic trick for students.
4 Responses to “Idiocy in Florida”
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I'm a freelance copyeditor specializing in fantasy and science fiction. SF/F novels I have copyedited have been finalists for (and have sometimes won) the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, Golden Spur, John W. Campbell Memorial, Quill, Locus, Philip K. Dick, British Science Fiction, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy awards. In 2007 I was short-listed for a World Fantasy Award for my copyediting.
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BURN HIM!! BURN HIM!!
…um, what? They’re afraid sleight of hand will teach the kiddies how to become master thieves, perhaps?
I heard about this. While there may have been other reasons for this sub not being asked back, you have to be very careful what you say in a termination. Always consult HR before a termination and if possible have them present for the actual separation.
Its not just florida, schools are wigging out everywhere. In Virginia they are implementing a “no touch” policy - shake someones hand or touch them on the shoulder and get expelled (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/17/AR2007061701179_pf.html)
Unfortunately in our lawsuit-happy climate where anyone can sue for the most idiotic reasons and usually win, the schools have gone overboard to placate everyone.
Get ONE complaint about a book? remove it from the library.
A psychologist says that sports where there is a winner means that others are “losers” which hurt their self-esteem - thus opening the school up for lawsuits because the kids grow up to be losers. The result? Eliminate sports where there are winners and losers (http://www.drwoolard.com/peinnews2/drubbing.htm)
Receive a letter wondering why their son does not get as much playing time on the soccer team as another? force the coach to monitor the number of playing minutes and ensure all players get exactly the same amount of playing time no matter what their skill level is and what the teams win/loss record is. (does this sound like personal experience?)
Hear that a school might be sued because kids touched other kids resulting in a “sexual atmosphere” - eliminate all touch.
Find out that a teacher performed magic tricks for her students. Don’t ask if she attempted to convince them she was an actual witch or told them it was sleight-of-hand, don’t ask the complainer to be realistic….fire the teacher before you get sued.
Its so sad