An introduction, Sirius Black, the four houses

[jdr0918]

No: HPFGUIDX 59687

<<<--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "theultimatesen" wrote:
I believe they did the houses like this because of the traits the 
original 4 had...I can't think of any other explanation?... As far as 
dividing the houses and having some students who could be placed in 
multiple houses, do you think it could have to do w/ the way they do 
the classes? There are usually 2 houses per class (at least from what 
I've seen). Maybe the classes go at slightly different speeds/levels 
and they've grouped the houses together who are at the same speed 
regarding a specific class? I know that is probably a big shot in the 
dark that makes no sense, but at this point, anything is possible.>>

The Sergeant Majorette says:
It's more a function of how the traditional English boarding school 
is structured. The "house" is a kind of administrative unit -- 
something like what we call in the US the "homeroom", where we report 
in the morning before we disperse to other classes. In the early 
years when everybody is taking core curriculum, you're taught in 
your 'house', or 'homeroom' group. A large lecture or laboratory 
class might combine two homerooms. The 'sorting' is semi-arbitrary -- 
maybe the interests you've indicated on your application, or your 
test scores (it would *never* be explicitly stated, but everybody 
always knows which class is the 'dumb' class). In the more rigid 
British model, the first pass of sorting might be by heritage -- you 
go where your forefathers went.
Check out this article -- 
http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/10/10/bookend/bookend.html
--JDR