Snape's grading may not be fair, but...

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 74935

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Christy Jewell 
<christyj2323 at y...> wrote:
> Marina said:
> Harry fails to hand in a potion.  Snape gives him a
> zero.  
> 
> My reply:
> 
> Darn right he got a zero. No work, you fail, end of
> story. Why should he give Harry a grade for NOT
> completing his work?

I never said he should.  This was only the first half of my 
example.  The second half, which you snipped, pointed out that when 
Harry did hand in a potion, he got a zero anyway.  My point was, 
Harry got the same result for working as for not working.  So what's 
his motivation to work?

> 
> Marina said:
> That only works if you actually do give them a better
> grade if they 
> work harder.  Snape doesn't do this.  If he doesn't
> like somebody -- 
> like Neville or Harry -- it doesn't matter how hard
> they work, 
> they'll never do any better.  And the kids know this.
> 
> My reply:
> Well, again, we have no real proof of what grades the
> kids actually get. Harry perceives that his grades are
> horrible. Lots of kids in my classes feel the same
> way, until they get a report card and find out that
> they did well. 

Harry's been going to school for five years.  He's gotten plenty of 
report cards.  He knows what his grades are.  If he'd been getting 
good grades in Potions, he would've noticed by now.

> Marina said:
> If that's true, it certainly explains a lot about the
> state of 
> modern inner-city schools.  If I was an inner city kid
> and a teacher 
> treated me the way Snape treats Harry, dropping out to
> join a gang 
> would seem more attractive every day.
> 
> My reply:
> Well, the only proof I can offer is this. I live in
> New York City where better than 50% of most kids will
> never pass their Regents exams. Close to 75% of my
> kids pass, compared to an average of 30 - 40% with
> most of their other teachers. Their reasons why?
> Because I made them work harder. Tough? You bet. Does
> it work? Absolutely.

And when they do work harder, do you give them bad grades anyway, 
just because you dislike them?  When they get their stuff together 
and hand in work, do you destroy it out of spite and give them 
zeroes?  If you get a bright, enthusiastic student who does well 
from the very beginning, do you refuse to ever praise her and 
instead sneer at her for being a know-it-all and insult her 
appearance?

> Teachers need to be FAIR, and we have little evidence
> that, as far as grades are concerned, Snape is unfair.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree there.  I think we have 
plenty of evidence that Snape is as unfair as he can get away with 
being.  McGonagall is tough but fair, and her students appreciate 
that.

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com