Manners (was Re: Snape and Harry)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 80005

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "feetmadeofclay" 
<feetmadeofclay at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "melclaros" <melclaros at y...> 
> wrote:
> 
> > Indeed. Drives me NUTS to have a 3year old wander up to me and 
call 
> > me by my 1st name. Or a 5 yo, or a 10 year old. Anything over 
that, 
> > in a social setting I would allow but sure would apppreciate the 
> > oppty to say, "Please call me..."
> 


Geoff:
I thought I would come back again to add my twopenny-worth to the 
subject of manners, both in respect of Harry and also in general.

Harry has had little opportunity to try to establish any empathy with 
Snape. I've mentioned it before but just look at his first encounter 
with Snape. PS (UK edition, pp.101-104)

"
..he paused at Harry' name.
`Ah, yes,' he said softly, `Harry Potter, our new – celebrity.'
Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their 
hands

"

He then goes on to ask Harry a question which Harry cannot answer
.

"'Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything.'"

He asks another question.

"'I don't know, sir'.
`Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?'
Harry forced himself to keep looking into those cold eyes. He /had/ 
looked through his books

"

More questions and Harry suggests that Snape asks Hermione. Result


"Over the noise, Snape said, 'and a point will be taken from 
Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter'."

Neville has an accident


"'You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? 
Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's 
another point you've lost for Gryffindor.'"

This is the way Harry, as a new boy only days into a totally strange 
environment is greeted. To be quite frank, I seriously doubt Snape's 
qualification as a teacher in terms of relating to students. Two 
instances come to mind ( I can't quite pin down the page reference at 
the moment). One is where he calls Hermione a "know-all" and actually 
Hermione garners support for herself although the passage points out 
that most of the Gryffindors there had called her that on occasions 
themselves. The second is when Harry and Draco hurl spells at each 
other which rebound; Hermione teeth grow and (I think) Crabbe comes 
out in boils. Snape's reaction? Detention for Harry, a few points off 
for Malfoy and as far as Hermione's teeth are concerned "I see no 
difference". What a way to treat your pupils



As to the calling SS "sir" etc., it is the fact that he tells Harry 
to call him this /every/ time he speaks which is the ludicrous part. 
I believe as a teacher, you initially anticipate respect but beyond 
that you have to earn it. I have remarked on the group before that I 
taught for 32 years in South-West London. I was in the same school 
for all that time although it changed from 11-16 boys to 13-18 mixed 
over the years. IN the early days, I received "sir" or "Mr.Bannister" 
as a matter of course; I never once asked a class to address me in 
that way. As time went on, I began to get the children of my former 
pupils appearing and I think my reputation had gone before me by 
then. I tried for the whole time for hold to two rules for myself: 
(1) Be firm yet fair (2) Never ask a child to do something which I 
would object to myself. I also worked under a superb head for the 
first 12 years who trimmed a few excess reactions in the first year 
or so ( doubtless a Welsh Dumbledore!). Rarely did I have any 
problems in or out of the class. I took early retirement 10 years ago 
but last year joined the "Friends Reunited" website to see what my 
flock had been up to. I am now in fairly regular email contact with 
about three dozen ex-pupils; I consider I didn't do too badly.

Re Christian names. I think it is a question of when and where? My 
wife and I are youth coordinators at our local Baptist Church 
(despite my age!) and also run a thriving church boys' club for 8-14 
year olds. We encourage the lads to use our Christian names and have 
never known anyone take advantage of this. It helps to create an 
environment of cooperation, enthusiasm and fun without imposing a 
school type situation. I agree that in a more formal set-up, surnames 
are the norm unless the person involved indicates that they are happy 
for it to be different.

Geoff