I'd rather be in Snape's class

[kiricat2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 41163

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "jenny_ravenclaw" <meboriqua at a...> wrote:

Darrin said:  
> > Very capable teacher??? When???>

Then, Jenny said:
> <snip Darrin's examples of Snape's nasty ways in the classroom>
> 
> I never said he was a nice teacher; I said he was capable.  Irene 
> really said it better than I could: the students pass his classes.  
In 
> reality, Snape would most definitely have been disciplined by his 
> supervisor... or he'd be slapped silly by a student in the NYC 
public 
> school system.  However, this 
> is not reality (as much as I pretend it is at times) and things 
seem 
> to be run differently at Hogwarts.  For one thing, the students who 
> are picked on never tell on Snape.  As obnoxious as this sounds, if 
> Neville can't stand up for himself or can't approach Dumbledore or 
> perhaps his grandmother about the way one of his professors is 
> treating him, why should Snape stop?  If Dumbledore knew that Snape 
> treated some of his students so badly, I think he'd have a talk 
with 
> Snape about it.  

I see Jenny's (and Irene's) points, but I also agree with Darrin's.  
It seems that the only way one survives Potions with Snape is either 
to be at least passably competent at it, or to be brow-beaten or 
terrified into success.  

I'd appreciate Snape as a teacher more if we were ever given an 
illustration that he occasionally uses some other method to get his 
lessons across.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't think of any 
instant where Snape uses any positive method to encourage or prod his 
students. I mean, the choice of "Get it right or I'll kill your pet" 
seems a bit extreme to me.  Perhaps Irene hit on a pertinent point - 
that people like Neville have the magic in them, but for some reason, 
they need a jolt to make it work properly. Can the jolt ever come 
from something other motivation than fear of the teacher?

Then, again, maybe in Snape's case, it can't because: 

Darrin, again:
> > In fact, as I've said before, I don't think Snape wants to be 
> > teaching at all.>
 
And, Jenny:
> That sounds about right to me as well.  You know what, though?  I'd 
> much rather be in Snape's class than in Hagrid's or *shudder* 
> Trelawney's.  Snape may be mean but, as you mentioned, he knows his 
> stuff and makes sure that his students get that knowledge too.

Hogwarts does seem to have its share of awful teachers, doesn't it? 
I'd add Binns to the list.  History can be so fascinating - I hate it 
when people boil it down to memorizing dates...

> --jenny from ravenclaw, who would be a straight-A student at 
Hogwarts 
> if only Hogwarts would send that letter! *********

Yes, but Snape would probably put you in the Hermione "insufferable 
know-it-all" camp! :-)

Marianne