[HPforGrownups] Re: Hagrid the Betrayer/ Hagrid, the one who can't handle his job

[rosie]

No: HPFGUIDX 40191

Jenny said:
  
"I can understand if he was shaken up for a few 
weeks or so, but the only thing Hagrid had his students do for the 
rest of the year (a good ten months we're talking) is feed 
Flobberworms, which appears to be something that doesn't even need to 
be taught.  He was in no way a teacher.   He should have been removed 
from his position, or at least he should have had the sense to leave 
it himself.

<snip>

My last comment is related to people (not just you, Naama!) that 
Hagrid is a friend to Harry.  I'm sorry, but he is not supposed to be 
Harry's friend.  I am there for my students and I've listened to many 
a sob story, have given advice and have laughed with my students many 
times.  They even know a bit about my life - but I DO NOT cry to them 
or expect them to help me if I make a mistake.  I don't tell them when 
I am having problems at home and I don't expect them to pick me up 
when I am down.  In fact, they never know if I am dealing with 
somethig outside of school because I keep that to myself.  I don't 
care what position Hagrid has at Hogwarts; he should not EVER have 
Harry and Co. helping him out and sneaking around in the middle of the 
night when he messes up.  Hagrid needs to learn how to take better 
care of himself."

I think your points based on being a real-life teacher are very sensible, but I think we have to remember that this is a magical school. The ways things work are a bit different to real life, and real life itself is again different to how we would sometimes prefer it to be. 

As far as I remember, Hagrid was *told* to teach the students about flobberworms. You are probably justified in saying that Dumbledore shouldn't put Hagrid in the position he is in, but it wasn't Hagrid who *asked* to be made a teacher. He has tried to make the best of this job he has been given - we are told how much effort he put into the first lesson - and he really isn't receiving any sort of support as far as I can see. He's had, what, 2 or 3 years of education, for reasons that were not his fault (perhaps that's why many people see Hagrid's character as childish: he has missed out on all that education, and the accompanying things like social skills, that his peers have had. I can't imagine that Young!Hagrid, having been expelled and therefore seen as the person responsible for *a student's death* is going to have had a fantastic social life or lots of friends. 

He can't quit his job and just leave Dumbledore in the lurch. Yes, there was Prof Grubbly-Plank, but if she was so good... why wasn't she asked to stay on? Perhaps she was only filling in as a favour to D-dore, maybe they can't *get* another Care of Magical Creatures teacher (we know they have had lots of problems with recruiting DADA teachers). 

I also agree Hagrid shouldn't, as a teacher, behave the way he does.. but look at it. Before he was made a teacher, he had become friends with HRH. He's an important source of support to them (e.g. Hermione when she falls out with the other two). He can't just emotionally cut himself off like that, and I don't see it as that important that he should.

D-dore (as I think it says in canon *somewhere*) thinks you thinks in some very different ways, which is why eg Harry must return to the Dursleys (one of the reasons, at any rate). I reckon Dumbledore thinks the kids are learning more from having Hagrid as a teacher than they would without him. 

I totally agree with you that he isn't very good at his job, but it's not really a role he is suited for, and he didn't ask for it! Don't blame Hagrid for being a bit of a useless teacher, it's not his fault; Dumbledore, I think, knows what he's doing, in just the same way that even though they detest Potions, the Gryffindors learn *other* things from the lessons with Snape, for example that life isn't always fair, and that favouritism does exist, etc, etc.

Rosie, who thinks Jenny would probably make a much better teacher than Hagrid, but can't dislike Hagrid nonetheless.





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