Life Imitates Art

Or something similar to that metaphor. So I'm in the waiting room of Long Island College Ambulatory Surgery on Monday along with a family who are waiting for their appointment. The conversation is about the trials and tribulations of a disputed NYCDOE decision to have a student left back (a very delightful and intelligent sounding 12 year old awaiting a hand procedure) "The principal said she didn't have test scores for advancement...blah, blah. The LIS (Local Instructional Superintendent concurred yada, yada." I chimed in with some pseudo intellectual babble about being a retired teacher and knowing something about how the system works. "Make sure every proper procedure was followed in regard to evaluating her years' work was taken into consideration. If everything wasn't followed correctly you have a winning case. Don 't show that you will be intimidated. They only want to chalk one up to how they are following no child left behind nonsense. The principals are trained to be vicious by some of these LIS'." I felt awkward about intervening at first, but they were appreciative. They said they only wanted to win the case because they were going to put their daughter in private school (without being left back). They thought their kid might suffer some retribution in the future.
As I'm leaving the hospital later that day with my wife and daughter (my daughter had her second in a series of operations to correct an ear condition called a cholesteatoma) I get a call from the principal of a school where I was to be working part time this year. "I'm very sorry to tell you that I was told to take your name out of the budget by my LIS because she feels I need to hire a librarian instead due the requirements of grant...and there has ben a ruling according to memo #...dated August 9th is principal's weekly by the chancellor..."
The truth is, and it would be hard to prove, is that I'm being blacklisted by some regional bigwig who I once challenged and embarassed.