Flitwick the Great

[jklb66]

No: HPFGUIDX 35725

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "ssk7882" <skelkins at a...> wrote:
> Bearing in mind, of course, that the less we know about people
> the easier it becomes to envy their lot in life, I would still 
> like to cast my vote for Most Enviable Character for little
> Professor Flitwick.
> 
> He has a comfortable job, and he is good at it.  He is confident
> enough in his role as an instructor to allow the students to slack 
> off and have a bit of fun at Christmas time, but he is no push-over 
> either: in GoF, he gives Harry and Neville extra assignments when 
> they both seem to be faltering in his Charms class.  He is friendly 
> and accessible and gives no impression of House bias in his dealings
> with the students.  If he were one of my teachers and I were having
> difficulty with his subject, I would feel perfectly comfortable 
> going to him out of class for extra help; I suspect that most of
> Hogwarts' students feel the same way.  Flitwick's teaching style
> may not be as flashily challenging as Snape's, nor as blatantly 
> "tough but fair" as McGonagall's, but it is rock-solid.  His
> students learn their stuff, and they seem to learn it well.  He's 
> a very good teacher.
> 
> Flitwick is also well-respected among his peers.  We know that he 
> has talent in his field: in his youth he was a duelling champion;
> McGonagall enlists his aid in checking Harry's Firebolt for signs
> of tampering; and when discussing the Fidelius Charm in Hogsmeade,
> the other adults instantly defer to him to give the explanation
> of precisely what the Charm is and how it works.  
> 
> He would also seem to be quite well-liked and to have the ability
> to get along well with a wide variety of types of people.  He 
> goes out for drinks with McGonagall, Hagrid and the Minister of 
> Magic himself in PoA, and there is no indication that he is not
> perfectly comfortable with all three of them.  Everybody seems to
> like him.  Even Snape never has a single snipe for Flitwick.  
> 
> And he seems very content.  If he cares at all that House 
> Ravenclaw never nabs the Quiddich or House Cup, then he does
> an excellent job of hiding his resentment.  He would seem not
> to be particularly competitive at all, really -- although given
> that he was once a duelling champion, we can assume that this
> isn't because he's at all *incapable* of showing a good fighting
> spirit when he feels like it.  He's just plain too *well-adjusted* 
> to give way to envy or resentment or jealousy over such trivial
> matters.  And good for him!  He's sane.  Sane, cheerful, kind...
> the guy has simply got it together.
> 
> Of course, there may well be some dreadful tragedy in the poor
> guy's past.  But if there is, then he would seem to be handling 
> it remarkably well.  And that's an enviable quality too, come to 
> think of it.
> 
> So Flitwick gets my vote for the character I envy the most.  After
> all, who wouldn't want to be well-liked, well-respected, eminently 
> well-adjusted, and comfortably ensconced in a secure job at
> which you excel?


Prof. Flitwick definitely gets my vote for "Teacher of the Year!"  
All those in favor, say "Aye!"