Teacher stereotypes (love them!)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 84862

JJpandy wrote:
> As a teacher myself, I love JKR's uses of teacher stereotypes to 
> create a balanced school faculty.  McGonagal is the strict, but fair 
> teacher.  Snape is mean and plays favorites.  Binn is dull and 
> monotonous.  Flitwick, Hooch and Sprout are good teachers, probably 
> remembered fondly by those students who favored those particular 
> subjects.  Lupin was kind, knowledgable, and respected (except by 
> Slytherins). Mad-eye Moody (or who we thought was Moody)was scary, 
> yet entertaining at the same time. Dumbledore is the beloved 
> Headmaster/Principal. Hagrid is the first-time teacher whose heart is 
> in the right place even if his lesson-planning skills need work. 
 
 
sera said:
> I absolutely agree. When I read "Philosopher's Stone" again last week,
> I thought: "Wow, Snape is just like that mean maths teacher you had in
> 10th grade" or "Yes, I know a McGonagall myself". Rowling creates
> stereotypes. But that we actually find those in real life just shows
> how much our society is build upon certain, er, stereotypes. When I
> think back to my school days, I can certainly name the "good" and the
> "Bad" teachers, the "mean" and the "nice" ones, and I could compare
> them to Hogwarts' teachers. 
 

I think you're missing a key distinction between "type" and
"stereotype." In my view, McGonagall and Snape are variations on the
stern teacher type who can control a class without effort, but they
are also distinct individuals, especially Snape, who is the focus of
so much discussion precisely because he defies our expectations so
frequently. A stereotypical character, on the other hand, speaks and
acts predictably. I mentioned Crabbe and Goyle earlier as the only
characters I could think of who could accurately be labeled
stereotypes. As an afterthought I could add Filch, the malicious
caretaker, to that list, along with Peeves (not that I've encountered
many poltergeists in the literature I read, but he's pretty
predictable). But Snape and McGonagall are real to readers precisely
because they go far beyond the bounds of the "mean" or "stern" teacher
we expect to encounter in a book generally regarded as children's
literature.

Carol