Teachers and fairness (WAS Is Snape unfair with House Points? )

[melclaros]

No: HPFGUIDX 56473

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mongo62aa" 
<william.truderung at s...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "melclaros" <melclaros at y...> 
> wrote:
> 
> > I'd have taken ten....
> > 
> Why?
> 
> Snape asked a question of the class.
> 
> Hermione raised her hand.
> 
> Snape ignored her, and made a sneering comment to the class.
> 
> Hermione answered the question.
> 
> Snape insulted Hermione, and deducted 5 points for answering the 
> question he had asked.
> 
> And you think he should have deducted 10 points????
> 
> I really hope that you are not a teacher.
> 


Now me:

Not at the moment. 
But I honestly wish I had a dollar for every time I have had to say 
to the same student something along the lines of "Yes, I'm sure you 
have the answer, but why don't we give someone else a chance this 
time?"


Say what you want, Snape told Hermione exactly what he was going to 
do and Why, then did it.


Please indulge me and allow me tell you a little story about a real 
teacher and what she did to my real daughter. I'd take Snape over her 
Any Day Of The Week over this.

This lovely, sweet angel of a teacher told my nine-year old student
(who has a "conduct problem" which would probably set Snape into 
apoplexy) that if she "worked really, really hard" the last week of 
the grading period she would give her an "S" (satisfactory) in 
conduct so that she could get on the honor roll that term. Student 
made extra effort--VERY difficult for her--to do so. Approached said 
sweet angel of a teacher in the morning she knew she'd be in her 
class and said "I'm going to be extra good in your class today, I 
promise!"
Mother of said student follows up with angelic teacher during the 
course of the week to check on progress of conduct. Is told "Great 
improvement, she is working very hard! I'm very pleased!"

Ok.... I'll skip ahead to report card day but I'll leave a little bit 
of space so you can try to guess what happened.


Report card day comes and I pick up Crying Nine-Year Old student who, 
when handed her report card, sans honor-roll certificate, opened it 
directly to the grade for the sweet angelic teacher's class to see a 
lovely "N" (Needs improvement) in the conduct column.

NOW *there* is a teacher we can all do without. Give me an honest 
bastard like Snape. I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if I'd gone to 
argue his report card grade. 
Is he fair? It's been pointed out here that as far as grades go it 
seems he is--not even Ron has complained about an unfair grade in 
Potions. It's also been pointed out that he doesn't appear to inflate 
Draco's grades. He's not very nice. That's a given. But he's honest 
and up front and that counts big in my book.

Mel:  who'd rather give the kid with the wrong answer a chance.