[HPforGrownups] Education

[Olivia]

No: HPFGUIDX 44750

cockneyrebe1 said: (Sorry so impersonal, you didn't leave a first name. :) )
"Apologies if this has been brought up numerous times in the past, this is
my first post on here :)"

Actually it has and there have been some very interesting thoughts so you
should definitely search through the archives to see what's been brought up
before.

"Are we to assume that wizards have no concept of mathematics, history,
geography, etc. etc.?"

It's very possible that they're tutored at home, or some may be sent to
Muggle schools, or what they know before they go to Hogwarts they simply
pick up.

At Hogwarts, though, they do get a very rounded education even if it's not
as obvious as our Muggle educations.

History of Magic:
History of Magic is the course most familiar to us Muggles. They learn about
the history that's important to them. Since most wizards and witches don't
spend a lot of time in the Muggle world, they really don't need to know
about our history. Just as American children don't spend a lot of time
learning about Chinese history and vice versa, little wizards and witches
don't spend a whole lot of time learning about Muggle history. I don't think
they'll ever have to know the precise dates of the American Civil War
battles.

We also know that they write more than a few essays for Professor Binns
which includes English, grammar, and writing. It doesn't sound like Binns
(or any of their other professors, for that matter) would let them get away
with sloppily written essays.

Potions:
Potions is chemistry. And just as chemistry requires a good understanding of
mathematics, so does Potions. They have to be very precise in their
measurements and some Potions seem to be very time-sensitive. It also
requires a good bit of logic and deduction. Plus they're learning about the
different ingredients they're using, so there's a little basic science in
there as well. And, of course, more essays.

Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures:
More science that's further down on the Biology end of the science spectrum.
I wouldn't be surprised if they also learned about anatomy and physiology as
well.

Arithmancy:
Math, obviously, plus more logic and deduction.

What was Hermione thinking when she said wizards have no logic? She very
well could have been referring to Muggle logic. After all, it's said in PoA
that she was drawing diagrams of Muggles manually lifting objects for her
Muggle Studies class. To us, that's as natural and logical as anything. If
we drop something, we bend over and pick it up. But to a wizard, it can be
just as easy as pointing their wand and levitating to their height. But to a
Muggle, that's not logical.

And then there's the magic classes which rely almost entirely on Latin. And
if anyone's taken even the most basic Latin course before, they'll know that
once you learn many of the most common roots, you can define any word off of
that root. By learning Latin, they're learning English.

"Perhaps, since magic *is* illogical, science subjects become irrelevant."

I see that they get more science than anything else. Potions, Herbology,
Care of Magical Creatures. It's the science of magic. Just because they
aren't memorizing the periodic table, doesn't mean they aren't getting
science.

"Lastly, if no universities exist in the wizard world, how did Hogwarts
teachers become Professors?  Is "professor" just a throw-away term in the
books?  Can anyone become one?  Is Hagrid a
Professor?"

I don't know if calling it a "throw-away term" is really fair. The
professors might not have a Muggle-like degree, but they are all fully
qualified for their positions. It seems like they all have jobs they love
and have them because they are good at them. Professor Snape most likely
excelled at Potions when he was at Hogwarts and therefore it was a natural
progression for him to enter the field when he decided to teach. It seems as
though they use the word Professor as a term of respect; they're
acknowledging the position they hold and the work they do. Hagrid is a
teacher, therefore a professor, but he most likely told the students to just
keep calling him, "Hagrid." He's not really a "Professor Hagrid" kind of
guy.

"Do Hogwarts-leavers go straight into work, like Percy did?"

It would appear to be that way. But Percy didn't go right to the top of the
Ministry of Magic, he started as an assistant, almost like an apprentice.
He's learning his trade just as Hagrid learned how to do his job before he
took over. And Dumbledore, as well, started out as a teacher and worked his
way up.

"That's it for now - sorry it's long and I'm even more sorry if this has all
been said before.  There's nothing worse than someone new rattling on about,
say, Dumbledore's gleam of triumph in GoF!"

It's an interesting topic and, like I said, you really should seek out some
of the previous discussions in the archive. This was talked about not too
long ago and I liked a lot of the ideas people brought up.

Welcome to HPforGrownups!

Olivia, who really needs to get back to work. :)