Hagrid

[meboriqua at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 23025

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., dorband at u... wrote: 
> 
> So, all of you teaching professionals out there - what about 
allowing  an unqualified instructor to instruct?  Plausible or 
troublesome?>

Here in NYC unqualified teachers are a way of life.  It has become 
increasingly difficult to find qualified teachers who are willing to 
work in the public schools and we now have a serious teacher shortage 
(even though our mayor denies it *snarl*).  The lack of qualified 
teachers definitely has an effect on the education the kids are 
getting here, but the deplorable conditions and overwhelming 
bureaucracy are just as much to blame.  *Gets off soap box*

As for Hogwarts, I wonder if they, too, are having problems hiring 
teachers.  It seems that most of the professors have been there for 
many years and have no intentions of leaving.  When a postion opens, 
like the DADA position, few people apply.  Perhaps when the Care of 
Magical Creatures professor retired, Hagrid was one of the few and 
possibly the only one to apply for the job.  Since Dumbledore trusts 
Hagrid so implicitly and since Hagrid should never have been expelled 
to begin with, he wanted to give Hagrid a chance.

However, I do not think being a professor is the right job for Hagrid.  
Not only does he not have enough wizarding education, but his own bias 
towards "interestin' creatures" prevents him from teaching young 
witches and wizards what they need to learn.  Of course, I could be a 
bit biased too; I'm not crazy about Hagrid.  I will say though, that 
if Hagrid could work with a more experienced Care of Magical Creatures 
professor, he could improve.  He does know a lot about all kinds of 
creatures; he just needs to teach more than what he likes.  I teach 
plenty of topics I don't like, but I need to and so I do. 

It also seems to me that there are no curriculum mandates (we have 
them here in NYC) that the professors are supposed to follow.  Each 
DADA professor has pretty much taught what they wanted to, and 
Hagrid's main focus is big, hairy, scary and scaly creatures.  That 
could be due to Dumbledore's own unorthodox style; I'm sure if Fudge 
had his way, he'd tell each professor exactly what to teach for each 
day of the week.  I'm not saying Fudge should control Hogwarts 
::shudder::  That could be truly bad.

--jenny from ravenclaw, who is very happy to not be teaching until 
September rolls around****************