Snape's teaching style (was Snape Again)

[Lyda Clunas]

No: HPFGUIDX 16630

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Hillman, Lee" <lee_hillman at u...> wrote:
>> I think Amanda's hit the nail on the head, here. Snape does not 
seem to look back. On the odd occasion when he does reiterate the 
past, he's so bitter and narrow-minded that he can only present past 
events as a justification for his current course of action (like his 
explanation in the Shrieking Shack or to Harry about James, both in 
PoA).<<
<snip>
>> Another insight I had while writing this: Snape is broken, we all 
can see that, but part of why he *stays* broken is because he doesn't 
examine his past or make any attempt to see why it has shaped him to 
be the way he is. He is bitter and resentful and he disdains 
everything but his own extreme sense of honour and conduct (which is 
highly skewed). As I said, occasionally something really does 
penetrate, and he may think about it enough to see the logic of it 
(Occam's razor, in the case of the 'prank') and make a conscious 
choice to change Supposition to Fact in the file cabinet of his Id 
and fold it in to his new operating paradigm. But I think he doesn't 
internalize that realization--that is, it still doesn't change how he 
feels or how he chooses to interact with that past. It's still past; 
therefore there is an oak door between it and where he is now.<<

I think Snape really wants to bury the past, in a way. He won't 
acknowledge much of it because it's probably extremely painful (and 
humiliating) to acknowledge, especially with the type of pride and 
sense of "honour and conduct" that he has. Severus has this mentality 
of "what's done is done, and can't be changed." So, when "what's 
done" actually alters his way of being (i.e., his bitterness, etc.)he 
simply moves on with it. Does he acknowledge to himself the 
difference? Yes, but he won't make any move to change that 
alteration, because the past is behind him, and he feels that he 
cannot relive or fiddle with what has already occurred.

>> Well, I'd definitely say that he wouldn't mind getting 
acknowledgement for doing Stuff, as evidenced by how he responds to 
Fudge in PoA: "Thank you very much indeed, Minister," etc., but I'm 
more inclined to say that we all *know* what frustrates Snape (see 
the Daily Prophet personals--nudge, nudge, wink, wink)!<<

I think that Snape feels rather robbed of his recognition. If he was 
such a helpful spy against Voldy, wouldn't he have gotten the Order 
of Merlin by now? But, because his spy work is kept rather under-
wraps, he doesn't have that recognition, and he no doubt feels a bit 
slighted. Therefore, when he loses his capture of Black, as well as 
the O of M AGAIN in PoA, he goes ballistic.

As for what *really* frustrates Snape-- well, you said comical, but I 
think this is absolutely true. Snape is by far one of the youngest 
teachers at Hogwarts; he's only about 35, while Professors 
McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick, etc., are much older. They *taught* 
young Severus when *he* was at Hogwarts. There's hardly anyone in his 
age group at Hogwarts (well, Lupin) much less a 20ish or 30ish, or 
even 40ish woman. You know, I've seen several fanfics that imply that 
Snape's rather unlovely appearance is more of a guise, because he 
doesn't want any 7th year girls to get crushes, lest something 
develop from that. Hey, could be true. :)

>> But we all learned with amazing efficacy. Being a "mean" teacher 
doesn't necessarily equate to being a "bad" teacher.<<
<snip>
>>I think this is so true of Snape--admittedly, it's not the right 
approach for Neville. We teach the way we learn. By that I mean, if 
my learning style is visual, auditory, or kinetic, grasps concepts 
quickly or slowly, requires a lot of coaching, or requires a very 
clear set of tasks (Do this, then this, then this), that when I turn 
around to teach someone that same process, I'm going to start by 
teaching it using the preferred style I used to learn it. Assuming 
Snape was an above average student, one who cottoned on pretty 
quickly and didn't need a lot of minute direction, he's going to 
teach that way, and assume that anyone who can't do it like that is 
a "dunderhead." Snape also has the kind of impatient personality that 
doesn't suffer fools well. Where he fails _with Neville_ is that he 
makes no attempt to alter his method to find Neville's preferred 
learning style. However, should Snape be expected to tailor his 
teaching style to every student? That's a tough ethical question. 
Does he have the right to insult and bully them? No, but there's a 
thin line between bullying and challenging. I get the sense that 
Snape has one foot to either side of it.<<

Yes. Snape doesn't want to befriend most of his colleagues, much less 
his students. He teaches so that the students can *learn*, not so 
that they can have a good old time going to school and having classes 
and sharing their deepest feelings with their teachers. He's quite a 
good teacher, IMO, from what we've seen. Quite ruthless, but he gets 
the results. With Neville, I think he views Neville as a sort of 
hopeless case, and he is easily frustrated by the boy's shortcomings. 
His reaction with the barrage of insults usually only manages to 
frighten Neville even more, which causes him to screw up even more, 
which makes Snape even more frustrated. But, Snape's not going to 
make any moves to stop that sort of a cycle. It's not his style. He 
just teaches; if a kid doesn't "get it", too bad, you fail, move on.

The main complaint I would have with Snape as a teacher would be the 
obvious shows of favoritism to certain students (Slytherins). I 
despise favoritism in the classroom, but again, it's not Snape's 
style to treat every kid with that "we're all special" attitude. He 
obviously dislikes Gryffindors (or anyone with whom Harry 
associates), and he shows it.

>> It's difficult to see how Snape can get over a lot of this stuff 
in himself. He's so patently broken, and with his refusal to look 
back and examine that aspect of himself, whether because of the pain 
or the psychological barriers or the need to break with his past, I 
wonder whether he will learn to accept that he doesn't have to 
disdain everyone and everything. I see no future in which Snape is 
a "nice" person, but I can see him forced to come to grips with the 
events who broke him in the first place, and finally moving on.<<

I personally cannot wait for this point in the HP books. I feel 
confident that Snape will be "redeemed", and will come to terms with 
the events that seemed to have ruined and now unconsciously haunt his 
life. In the meantime, I suppose I'll just have to busy myself with 
the fanfic about it. :)

Lyda