Wizarding Education Model

[Steve]

Actaully, you have outlined my /preferred/ model of wizard world
education to near perfection.

In fact, part of what you said is based on ideas that I orginated in
the main group; for example, The School of Magic was my idea. For
advanced education, I had an idea similar to the 'Guild' thoery, but
was swayed to favoring the Guild model in a long discussion with the
Guild model's orginator. Really wish I had saved all those discussion,
they were great.

Even though, you did stated my /preferred/ world view, Shaun and I
were arguing an alternate premise or model, and were concerned with
why Hogwarts is not operating at capacity.

I specualated that enrollement was down due to a limited number of
available students; limited for a variety of reasons. And extended
that by saying if enrollment increase, staff would increase to meet
the need.

Shaun, on the other hand, argued that there were available candidates,
but the lack of qualified and available teaching Staff, limited the
size. (very simplified version of what Shaun said)

Any thoughts on that particuar aspect?

General Comments-

Size and Proportion-
I simply can't and won't accept the 280 student number. To take
Harry's apparent class size and expand that to the whole school and
assume that you have an accurate number, I believe is completely
misguided. Which in turn means that I believe that enrollement
fluctuates from year to year, and that Houses sizes are significantly
uneven; a position I have argued in detail many times before. 

Again for the record, Hufflepuff is largest, Ravenclaw second, and
Slytherin & Gryffindor nearly tied for smallest. Relating houses to
society, Hufflepuff are the workers; there are a lot more workers in
the world than managers and executives. Ravenclaw's proportions would
reflect managers and midlevel executives. Slytherin would be
proportional to high level executives and businessmen. Gryffindor are
harder to place in a societal business model, but suffice to say that
people of true courage and brave action are few and far between in
this world. 

This does not exclude Hufflepuffs from literally being executives, or
Slytherins from being workers. I'm just attempting to carry House
personality into a business model of the real world, to attempt to
determine the relative proportions of the Houses to each other.

>From all I've said, while I don't believe the 280 number is remotely
accurate, neither do I believe that 1,000 reflects the current enrollemnt.

Advanced Training - Guilds
The more I've thought about it, the more I like the Guild Model which
at one time really was a reflection of life in Europe. Not only do
Guilds provide a high standard by which magical craftsmen are
measured, I think they also provide a social outlet. I hear the annual
Wandmakers convention in Paris is a real blow out. Membership also
affords it members a degree of pride and prestige. To be accepted into
one of the finer Guild is a tremdous point of pride.  And, to be
appointed to the Governing Board, or the Board of Standards would mean
that you had achieved great success and recognition of skill; that you
were the best of the best, and that surely would thrust you into the
upper crust of society.

Advanced Training - Academic
I have the theory that advanced degree do exist in the wizard world,
and that they are monitored and issued by Academic Review Committees.
Wizards who are engaged in advanced study of magic, would give
presentation, and publish academic and research papers which would be
reviewed by the committees. If you meet their standards, then you
would be awarded their accreditation. 

I speculate (highly speculate) that the basic degree of accreditation
is the 'Professoriate' which is quivalent to a Bachelors degree and
carries the title 'Professor'. For Howarts Professors, the title could
be honorary, or a courtesy, but I prefer to think it is also a formal
accredited title. 'Doctor' would be a title for someone who had
reached an advanced state of acedemic excellence, equivalent to a
Masters or PHD. 

These committees may be part of government. For example, the Ministry
of Magic may have academic review committees. Certainly the
International Confederation of Wizard would have an Academic
Committee. Or, they may be private organizations. For example, The
International Fraternal Order of Wizards. I made this one up for a
fiction, but private fraternal orders similar to the Masonic Temple
don't seem that unrealistic in the wizard world model.

The status of your title would be based on the status of the
organization that granted it to you. Just as a degree from Harvard
carries more prestige than a degree from a local state college.


One last note on Guilds, I think you did an */excellent/* job of
laying out the Guild Model, both the professional and the social
aspects of it. 

Overal, your post was probably one of the best, and most direct and
concise extended models of the wizard world that I have read (and that
includes my own), and want to repeat that it models my world view to
near perfection.

An excellent post by CatLady (Rita Prince Winston (cool name)), I hope
you saved a copy, I know I will. 

Steve/asian_lovr2