Snape as teacher

[kris403 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 17339

I'm a lurker.  I hardly have enough time to read all the posts....  hate to comment on something that has already been said, but this one I had to comment.   I am a teacher.  Granted, I have only been teaching two years, but I look at Snape's attitude from a different perspecive.  

1.  Yes, Snape does lose his temper a few times, but lets look at the circumstances.  Harry (along with his friends) do tend to get into a lot of trouble.  Going to Hogsmeade without permission, going into the forbidden forest, just roaming around the school at night.  They are breaking school rules.  More often than not, they don't receive punishment.  In fact the Headmaster has saved them a couple times.  As a teacher who in theory was trying to be fair and consistent in discipline (I'm not saying he is), this would push me to my limit.  Also Snape has been fairly sure that Harry has been responsible for events, such as Sirius's escape, and he can't prove it, and is basicaly told he is crazy.  

2.  As for playing favorites in his classroom, maybe his is just trying to show how real life is.  I am constantly frustrated with students who have no real value for life and death.  They look at movies about war (Saving Private Ryan) and think it is fake.  One girl in my class actually laughed.  Maybe wizard children are struggling with the same values.  Snape lived through Voldemort's reign of terror and he sees students who are fascinated with the "Boy who Lived", but have no thought of all the other consequences.  How many people died trying to stop him, how many people are now the same as Neville's parents?  Countless wizards fought and yet Harry receives all the glory.  Maybe  Snape is just  trying to help his students see outside the world of Harry.

3.  Let's look long term.  Hypothetically, Snape may have figured that Voldie wouldn't be dead forever.  Since he was a death eater he would know about all the experiments Voldie was doing to become immortal.  Maybe he knew he would have to take up the fight again and so he decided to stay in character.  If he had to become a spy again how credible would he be if he had befriended Harry, or was even fair to him?  On the outside he is evil, but I think Harry is going to respect him as he sees how Voldemort will pick his plans up where he left off.  

just my opinions
Kris