Snape as DADA substitute (Was: Poor KnowItAll)

Laura metslvr19 at yahoo.com
Sun May 4 16:27:44 UTC 2003


No: HPFGUIDX 56926

OK, I started this post intending to simply reply to the discussion 
about teaching styles and know-it-alls, but I have an English thesis 
to write, so I'm procrastinating as much as possible.  Hopefully I 
won't get sued for all the copying from PoA I'll be doing. =)  (For 
reference, this is in US paperback edition, Ch. 9: Grim Defeat, 
between pages 170 and 173)  I've stolen someone else's trick and have 
numbered the points in the text I'll be referring to.

< < <
(1) *Snape takes 10 points from Gryffindor for Harry being late to 
class, and another 5 for not sitting down when asked.*

"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not 
left any record of the topic you have covered so far-" 

*Hermione tries to fill him in* 

"I did not ask for information, (2)I was merely commenting on 
Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best DADA teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas.

"You are easily satisfied.  (3)Lupin is hardly overtaxing you- (4)I 
would expect 1st years to be able to deal with Red Caps and 
grindylows."  *Snape tells them to open to page about werewolves*

'Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and 
the true wolf?' said Snape.

Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose 
hand, (5)as it so often did, had shot straight into the air.

(6)'Anyone?' Snape said, ignoring Hermione.

"we told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as 
werewolves yet, we're still on-"

"*silence*!" snarled Snape.  "Well ,well ,well, I never thought I'd 
meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when 
they saw one.  (7)I shall make a point of informing Professor 
Dumbledore how very begind you all are. . ."

"Please sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air., "the 
werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways.  The sount 
of the werewolf-"

(8)"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Mss 
Granger," said Snape cooly.  "Five more points from Gryffindor (9)for 
being an insufferable know-it-all."

<snip> (10)"Very poorly explained. . .That is incorrect, the kappa is 
more commonly found in Mongolia.  Professor Lupin gave this 8 out of 
10?  I wouldn't have given is 3. . ."

<snip> (11)"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on 
the ways you recognize and kill werewolves.  I want two rolls of 
parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning.  (12)  
It is time somebody took this class in hand."
< < <

1) Snape takes a total of 15 points from Harry for being late to 
class and not following instructions.  In my opinion, justified, but 
a bit harsh, as McGonagall takes 20 points from Draco for being out 
of bed at night.  However, I don't think we can really argue 
fairness, because that's obviously subjective.  McGonagall obviously 
has different ideas from Snape, and there's no real way to tell them 
how to run the point system.  We've seen Snape be very strict with 
points and Lupin be very generous.  I believe Gryffindor receives 
about 50 points for the boggart lesson.  I think what we need to 
argue is consistency.  Lupin gave 5 points to each person from 
Gryffindor to battle the boggart, which is quite fair, as long as he 
gave 5 points to every person from Slytherin to battle it.  Of 
course, we aren't shown that lesson.  But we can't fault anyone for 
their different views on how many points anything is worth.  As long 
as the teachers are consistent in their own use of the point system, 
it is fair.  Although we have never seen Snape take points from 
Slytherin, he's fairly consistent with the points he's taken from 
Gryffindor.  And I'll even argue that this might even things out, 
because Slytherins definitely get screwed all over.  Even if Harry, 
Ron, and Hermione deserved the points he gave them in PS/SS, the way 
Dumbledore handed them out was completely *tactless* in my humble 
opinion.  And I adore Dumbledore, so it's hard for me to say so.  The 
first time I read it, I was so excited and happy that Harry and the 
Gryffindors beat the big, bad Slytherins and got to rub it in their 
faces.  But the more I read and the more immersed I became in the HP 
world, I began to resent that move.  Everytime I read that scene, I 
cringe with the way Dumbledore handles it.  Dumbledore is opened-
minded, but everyone has their faults.

2)  Snape openly criticizes the teacher he is substituting for, which 
is very unprofessional.  There is no need to do so.

3)  "Lupin is hardly overtaxing you-"  Um, excuse me, that's 
*Professor* Lupin to you.  Dumbledore corrects Harry in PS/SS when he 
calls Severus just plain old, "Snape."  I know, Lupin is Snape's co-
worker and Harry's teacher, but still.  In my school, when talking to 
students about their co-workers, my teachers refer to each other as 
Mr. or Mrs.  In casual conversation, my friends and I might say, "we 
have Jones next."  But to her face we call her "Mrs. Jones" and Mrs. 
Smith never tells us, "I eat lunch with Jones."  She says, "I eat 
lunch with Mrs. Jones."  And in my opinion, that's the way it should 
be.  Snape needs to be shown the meaning of respect, IMHO.

4)  Snape reprimands the class *and* Lupin for how behind they are, 
with the "I would expect first-years to know this" bit.  This always 
irks me to no end- Snape damn well knows how incompetent the previous 
DADA teachers were.  He was the only one we know from canon to fight 
against Quirrell's quest for the Stone, and he loathed Lockhart as 
much as the next guy.  This, I think, shows not only how little 
respect he has for Lupin, but also in a way reinforces the AIDS-type 
stereotype we've discussed before.  He blames Lupin for anything and 
everything- including things in which Snape knows Lupin is not at 
fault.  Perhaps Lupin is *not* organized.  Snape is justified in 
saying so, but it's unprofessional to say so to the class.  What's 
even more unprofessional is to take another cheap shot at Lupin in 
front of the class- for something that Snape *knows* IS NOT Lupin's 
fault.

5)  Now to tie in the teaching-style debate.  

Mel Claros sided with Snape:
> > >
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?" > > >

Catlady says that if anyone else had wanted a chance, they could have 
raised their hands as well.  To which I say "yes and no."  I have a 
Hermione in my school.  Kristi is in every one of my classes, and as 
I'm fairly good friends with her, I sit next to her in almost all of 
them.  When Kristi raises her hand, no one else bothers.  She's a 
wonderful person and I love her and all- but she *can* be 
an "insufferable know-it-all" at times.  I completely understand 
Harry and Ron's (and to a lesser extent, the rest of the school's) 
predicament.  They are good friends with Hermione, but sometimes 
they'd love to just tell her to shut the heck up already.  It *can* 
be impossible to learn or think with someone like that next to you, 
as Harry notes in the lesson with the boggart in PoA.

6) Snape ignores Hermione.  Catlady tells us how horrible it was for 
her when teachers used to do this to her:

> > >
Teacher asks the class a question. I am the only person to raise a 
hand. Teacher looks at the class and says:  "Doesn't anyone want to 
answer?" What am I, invisible?! Still no more hands go up. Teacher 
briefly scolds the class for no one even wants to *try*. Great, I'm 
not only invisible, I'm scolded for what I *FOR SURE* did not do! 
Poor Hermione was reflexively trying to *please* him, by showing that 
she is not guilty of what he was accusing the class of (ignorance). 
He punishes her for speaking, for trying to please him. 
> > >

I agree that sometimes teachers wish their bright students would just 
shut up, but ignoring them is not a good idea.  However, I've seen 
teachers say things like, "So Hermione is the *only* one who knows 
this?" which is just as harmful, only to the rest of the class.  So 
Hermione can be downright annoying, and she certainly hinders the 
rest of the class's learning- but Snape isn't doing anyone any good.  
He wants his class to be comfortable for him and him alone.  

7) Snape threatens to tell Dumbledore how behind they are.  This gets 
me every time.  I get so frustrated- as mentioned before, he 
absolutely knows that none of this is Lupin's fault, and he intends 
to tell *Dumbledore* about it!  Please, even if this weren't horribly 
immature ("I'm going to tell my mommy on you!") I'd still want to 
smack him- there's no need to say something like this to his 
students.  Not only does he discredit the teacher, he also tries to 
make it seem as if some of this is *their* fault.  Unless he was 
bluffing about it, which just makes him more of an idiot.

8)  Completely justified.  Hermione spoke out of turn.  Snape tooks 
points.  The end.  I don't care how smart she is, she has no right to 
speak up when not asked.  I honestly wish some of *my* teachers 
would "take points" or reprimand some of my classmates for this kind 
of behavior.  It drives me nuts when people do this and makes it 
impossible for anyone else to learn.

9)  Completely unjustified.  Hermione *can* be an insufferable know-
it-all.  But for Snape to say that to the whole class is nothing 
short of childish.

10)  Throughout the lesson, Snape continues to undermine Lupin's rule 
of the class and throw doubt on the students' abilities.  Again, very 
unprofessional.  I begin to wonder just how important the schoolbooks 
are to the scheme of things at this point.  From FB we can learn that 
Snape was incorrect about the kappas.  Is this evidence important?  
Perhaps that he isn't as good at DADA as claimed?  I wonder how many 
clues are in the schoolbooks.

11) "You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways 
you recognize and *kill* werewolves"  emphasis mine.  OK, so Snape 
wants the class to catch on to Lupin.  How to recognize werewolves.  
Fine.  But how to kill them?  *shiver*  Ok, I know, its DADA, they 
*do* need to know this kind of stuff.  But it always kinda creeps me 
out that Snape gave the lesson about werewolves *because* of Lupin, 
and he includes information about killing them.  Yuck.

12)  "It is time somebody took this class in hand"  Again, another 
unwarranted shot at Lupin.  But it does have some truth to it- 
Hogwarts students *are* terribly behind in DADA.  But is Snape really 
the man to keep them up on it?  We've already been given some 
evidence to possibly disprove that.  Also, you would think Dumbledore 
would find a competent DADA teacher.  Considering all the dark things 
going on, I find it really unnerving that DADA never has a good 
teacher.  Why couldn't Flitwick be the DADA teacher and Charms be 
the "cursed" position?  But I honstly think that this statement by 
Snape will come back to haunt us- it *is* time that somebody took 
repsonsibility for teaching these students DADA.  Lupin was good at 
it, but he resigned after a year.  

So, Snape is a horrible brat in this scene, but it does give us a lot 
to ponder about the DADA position.

-Laura






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