[HPforGrownups] Re: OoP(Spoilers) Snape as teacher

[Kelly Grosskreutz]

No: HPFGUIDX 67161

Melpomene:
> And it's worth noting, though apparently some haven't, that Snape
> does NOT give his instructions then go sit at his desk and do the
> crossword. He is CONSTANTLY moving among the students and is always
> said, when mentioned (while not berating Harry and co.), to be
> bending over so-and-so's caudlron. What, people, do you think he's
> doing?
> We see VERY few potions classes. I think we get...three ? in this
> book? They have it at least twice a week, we're only told about the
> ones Harry gets upset in. And every single time he screws up his
> potion it's because he's minding someone else's business.

I am in the middle of rereading OotP, and I made it through the first
Potions scene.  I noticed this the first time I read the book, but this time
it just leapt out at me.  In that scene, they are making a potion, and Harry
forgets to add an ingredient.  Snape takes the time to point out to Harry
where he went wrong.  Yes, he is extremely insulting and treats Harry like
he's an idiot, but he still did let him know why his potion wasn't turning
out.  In the same scene, we have Ron, Neville, Goyle, and Seamus with
potions that also didn't turn out.  Some of them are described to be worse
than Harry's was.  Yet, do we hear of Snape stopping by any of these kids
and pointing out their mistakes?  No.  Harry leaves the lesson with zero
marks for the day and the belief that Snape has treated him unfairly.  These
arguments may be true (the first definitely is), but Harry does not realize
that he is the only one out of the five kids I mentioned who learned
anything that day.  Ron probably still has no idea where he went wrong.  And
Goyle is a Slytherin who managed to set his robes on fire with the exact
same potion, but Snape does not once try to help him get it right.

As is said above, Harry screws up quite often when his mind is not on his
lesson.  Other days he probably does just fine when he is focused on what he
is doing.  And it seems to me that Snape is actually taking the time to make
sure Harry succeeds.  It's such a dark way of doing so, all with negative
reinforcement, and should not be employed in a regular classroom, but it
seems to me that what Snape is actually teaching Harry this year in Potions
is to keep his mind on his lesson and if he does screw up, to be able to
look at what he did and figure out what he needs to do differently.  I don't
know how many other students in that room are actually learning these very
useful things.  Tie this in with Umbridge's comment about how the class
seems to be working at an advanced level, and I find myself thinking I won't
be too shocked if Harry does manage to get an O in Potions anyway.  I have
always had the impression Snape has always been a very strict grader who
pushes his students to their limits.  Didn't Harry find his Potions O.W.L to
not be as hard as he thought it would be?  I have the feeling Snape's
classes are much harder than the O.W.L.s themselves.

Kelly Grosskreutz
http://www.idcnet.com/~ivanova