Eastwood Mailman

(Tampa Bay 10) – The charge from the school district — Wizardry!

Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears.

But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land ‘O Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own.

“I get a call the middle of the day from the 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 said.

When Piculas went in, he learned his little magic trick cast a spell that went much farther than he’d hoped.

“I said, ‘Well Pat, can you explain this to me?’  ‘You’ve been accused of wizardry,’ [he said]. Wizardry?” he asked.

Tampa Bay’s 10 talked to the assistant superintendent with the Pasco County School District who said it wasn’t just the wizardry and that Picular had other performance issues, including “not following lesson plans” and allowing students to play on unapproved computers.

Since when can’t a substitute be a Wizard? I can remember numerous teachers in my time, that were borderline creepy enough to be a Wizard. I think that it was more than the toothpick routine that did this guy in, as I see it, he told some young girl that he was going to perform a trick behind the desk next thing you know the guy has his ‘toothpick’ out, yelling abracadabra. I’ve heard about it one too many times…