You are in charge of Hogwarts

[Andrea]

No: HPFGUIDX 56641

--- Bill wrote:
> Actually, I thought that they were there to learn what they need to 
> know as an adult.  All of the other subjects would be available as 
> electives, but is learning how to harvest Venemous Tentacula really 
> more important than learning how to balance a chequebook?  Is knowing 
> how to transfigure a hedgehog into a pincushion more important than 
> knowing how to use the Internet?  

Weeeeeeell...considering almost all wizard monetary transactions we see
involve money being taken physically from the bank and exchanged and we
haven't seen a wizarding internet yet, I'd have to say yes. :)  There are
an awful lot of life skills that would be pretty handy to learn, but we
don't get taught them in school (or if we do, it's often an elective). 
That's because schools teach a lot of things that we CAN'T learn at home,
or at least not without a lot of equipment and a private tutor, or are
dangerous to learn personally.  (Anyone ever had a chemistry set explode
on them? *g*)  Schools have special equipment and professors who,
supposedly at least, are experts in their field.  They need to learn the
skills that only that kind of an environment can provide, not something
any idiot with a half hour and a Dummies book can pick up.

While turning a hedgehog into a pincushion doesn't seem very practical for
later life, remember that this particular test was a first year one. 
First year is when you get a LOT of information and skills that seem
fairly useless at the time, but wind up being essential building blocks
for the later skills you have to learn.  They're learning how to turn one
object into another.  The fact that they practice on hedgehogs or tea
kettles doesn't mean that they can't later apply that skill to something
more practical for their future careers and lives.

Also, keep in mind that these students will be living in the WIZARDING
world, not the Muggle one.  A lot of your assumptions seem to be geared to
the Muggle POV, when it's vastly different in the wizarding world from a
point of knowledge and skills needed and possible careers.


Andrea

=====
"Reality is for people who lack imagination."

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