Another sign of Hagrid's improvement as a teacher

[jenny_ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 41324

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "marinafrants" <rusalka at i...> wrote:
  
> 99% of the time?  I can think of exactly one case where Hagrid chose 
not to share his expertise with the students: the flobberworms.  That 
was a very bad teaching decision on his part, motivated by fear and 
insecurity; but it was the only one, and it came early in his career.>

Marina, I particularly hate trying to defend my arguments against 
yours because you are so darned logical all the time.  However, I feel 
good because I had a wonderful day at the beach, so I'll do my best.  

Okay, maybe not 99% of the time, but I still disapprove of most of the 
way Hagrid teaches.  Unfortunately, I think this is something we may 
all have to agree to disagree on.  I don't think he should have 
started with Buckbeak and I hated that he used flobberworms for the 
rest of the year.  I don't like that he used his students as part of 
his own experiment with the skrewts and I can't stand that he rarely 
educates his students about more of a variety of Magical Creatures 
than he does.  I teach plenty of literature I'm not crazy about but I 
know my students will like or will benefit from. 

> In GoF, he starts off with the Skrewts.  Maybe I'm odd, but I see 
nothing wrong with this.  They're experimental beasts that Hagrid is 
developing at the Ministry's request, and he gets the students to help 
with the experiment.> 

 Are we sure Hagrid was using the skrewts because the Ministry advised 
him to raise them?  Hagrid's reaction to Rita Skeeter's questions 
about the skrewts could be taken in two ways (that I can think of).  
He might have been vague and uncomfortable answering her because he 
was playing around with something illegal there or because he was 
raising the skrewts simply for the purpose of the third task and 
didn't want to give away the information.  What do others think?

>Hagrid has never shown signs of competetiveness, jealousy of other 
people's success, exessive vanity, or any other qualities that lead to 
one-upmanship.  Nor do I remember him expressing any annoyance with 
Grubbly-Plank.>

You're right; I was definitely making a sweeping generalization here, 
but here is where I got my thinking from (GoF, chapter 26): 
"maybe...because he was trying to prove he could do anything that 
Professor Grubbly-Plank could...but Hagrid had been continuing the 
lessons on unicorns ever since he returned to work".  It does go on to 
say that he knew quite a lot about unicorns, but that only makes me 
wonder why he never thought to teach his students about them before.

I think my real problem here is simply that I do not like Hagrid as a 
character.  I think he has done enough things at this point both in 
and out of the classroom that I tend to not trust him and to 
disapprove of him even when he is in the right.  Because of this and 
because I am a teacher, it is hard for me to be objective about him as 
a teacher.  I'd still choose Snape as a professor, attitude and all, 
over Hagrid's bumbling, blubbering disorganized lessons.  If it came 
down to Hagrid and Trelawney, though, I might have to leave Hogwarts.  

--jenny from ravenclaw, who was really ripped to shreds today, but has 
a lovely tan***************