[HPforGrownups] Teaching methods was ( Re: Petunia)

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

No: HPFGUIDX 41176

Irene:
>In real life I think eleven is a little bit early for his
>teaching methods (but then wizards are tougher on
>their kids), but later, like at 16-17 - it can be  an
>excellent character building experience.

I have to disagree with you here.  Alot.  The way he treats his students is bad *under any circumstances* and esp. when his students are children.  Having a "strict and clever" teacher like McGonnagall is a character building experience.  Having a teacher like Snape is a destructive one.  I would not consider myself one to coddle *anyone*, but I am horrified at the idea that Snape's idea of teaching could ever be considered anything but counter-productive.

Irene:
>There is life after school, and this life does not always work by
<positive motivation. It's important to learn how to turn your anger
>into self-motivation and get results under stress.
>When your boss gives your an equivalent of "20 points from your house,
>50 if you say another word" - it's important to know how not to
>say another word ( and not to give yourself a heart attack while your
>suppress it. :-) What is the better place to learn those lessons than
>the relatively safe atmosphere of school?

Um.  The students are supposed to be *learning* potions, not being desensitized to the gross unfairness of the world.  Trust me, kids will teach this to each other without any outside help.  You're saying that these kids need their wills broken in order to do well in the outside world?  That they should sacrifice their sense of right and wrong on the altar of commercial success? Because that's what happens to kids who are continuously attacked and given no recourse or means of defense.  They break.  They aren't adults.  16 and 17 year olds AREN'T ADULTS either, as much as they think they are.  There's a reason why they don't get all the privileges and freedom that adults do.  By the same token they don't get to experience the bad parts of being an adult as well.  The good with the bad, you know?  I understand the urge to disillusion them as soon as possible -- you feel like you're protecting them in the long run.  But if there's anything I've learned -- it's that no matter how much you try to warn, prepare, and harden...people will still insist on touching the iron just to find out if it burns for themselves.  I spend most of my time trying to expect the worst and protect myself from it -- and you know what?  It's a rare thing if anyone even gets half a shot at hurting me.  But I look at all my friends - running around like chickens with their heads cut off, making such stupid, obvious,*painful* mistakes, and they are just SO MUCH happier than me. 

Um..yeah. So the moral of the story is: let the children be children.  And the adolescents be adolescents.  They'll be adults soon enough.  And rushing them will only make things worse.

Irene:
>That's more university style education than school style, granted.
>But someone who knows what he is reciting, and can do so in
>logical and understandable manner, would be a good teacher in my book.

Yup ^_^.  Dr. Mike, my physics teacher, is an *excellent* lecturer.  Not only is he all of the things you mentioned, but he is also very note-taking friendly, which is always nice.  However, his classes are all small enough (as are Hogwart's classes) that he can encourage questions, is delighted with class participation, and is always available to the students outside of class.  And he isn't ever reduced to petty rage when someone isn't quite catching on.  Snape has no excuse to at least *attempt* these things.    

Irene:
>So far we haven't seen the kids being taught
>about controlled wandless magic. They are only able to do it
>when they are "scared or angry", to quote Hagrid.
>*Scared or angry* ? Doesn't it describe the state of poor 
>potions students perfectly? :-)

What about Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins?  Oh, I remember, this is the part of the "Snape is nasty because he CARES" theory which states that Snape is nice to Malfoy and Co. in order to *disadvantage* future DE's in the upcoming battle.  

pssh.  The problem with this is that, as far as I can tell, Snape really does *like* Malfoy.  Perhaps he even sees a bit of himself in the boy and wants to steer him away from the DE's.  Honestly, Snape and Malfoy's relationship is the only bit of humanity Snape ever shows, IMO.  Would you take that away from him?  *pouts*  And he *wants* Malfoy to outdo Harry.  Wants him to be better.  Just like he wanted to be better than James.  So if terrorizing students helps them be better Potions students, why is he so nice to Draco?

Also, this theory really doesn't stand up when you really look at it.  The kind of wandless magic performed by the "scared or angry" is uncontrolled and dangerous...but it DOES relate directly to what the person is scared/angry about.  Inciting children with raw, unmeasured power to get angry enough to perform wandless magic does NOT seem like a good idea from Snape's point of view.  Esp. with Harry, who's anger is more likely to splatter a certain Potion's Master brains all over the wall before it tries to please Snape.

Irene:
>So, in light of this theory failing marks are really not good enough for
>Neville.
>He needs this extra push to get the magic out of him. And it's either very
>powerful, or very unfocused - just ask all those melted cauldrons.

If a teacher treated me the way Snape treats Neville, I would  be hard pressed to find the motivation to work hard for him as well.  And yet -- Neville does *try* and it still doesn't work.  If Snape's treatment of Neville is some undercover conspiracy to get him to be a good wizard, it isn't working very well.  And what about Herbology?  Another class that requires very little "wand-waving" and yet I don't think a Muggle could manage it either.  And it's Neville's best subject.  Because, I suspect, Sprout is the best kind of teacher *for him* (whereas someone like McGonnagall is best for people like Hermione) *and* he's a kind boy who is probably very nurturing.  Neville's complete inadequacy at Potions is, I suspect, part his terror of Snape, which has got to be distracting and detrimental, part his and Snape's shared assumption that he is doomed to failure, and part the fact that doing well in Potions seems to have alot to do with having a precise and accurate memory -- which, well, memory charm or not, Neville doesn't have.

laura


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