Re McGonagall/Teachers was Re: Death Eaters

[slgazit]

No: HPFGUIDX 81443

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "arcum42" <Arcum_Dagsson at c...> 
wrote:
> Dumbledore has hired, in this order: Trelawney, Snape, Quirrell,
> Lockhart, Hagrid, Lupin, Crouch, and Firenze (Umbridge doesn't 
count,
> though DD really should have hired someone...). Perhaps interviewing
> and hiring teachers is one of his weaknesses?

I disagree. Let's consider his hirelings one by one:

He was planning to abandon divination completely, but then
hired Trelawney after she demonstrated that she was indeed a seer. 
She was hired so he could keep her around in case she made more 
predictions, but also to protect her from Voldemort if he tried to 
break into her subconscious memories to retrieve the prophecy. Her 
teaching credentials were irrelevant since Dumbledore did not 
consider divination a worthwhile subject anyway :-).

Firenze - not such a bad choice.

Snape is a nasty piece of work and mean to his students, but he knows 
his subject in and out and sets very high standards. He is a good 
teacher whose students have a very high OWL pass rate.

Quirell: we don't know what he was like before Voldemort started 
controling him, except for Hagrid's testimony that he was "brilliant".
Not enough information.

Hagrid was a mediocre teacher in his first 1.5 years but greatly 
improved afterwards. There is no question that his knowledge of his 
subject exceeds anyone else's, not to mention his enthusiasm. He only 
needs some on the job experience.

Lupin was an excellent teacher. No contest.

Crouch. Well, Dumbledore never hired him, has he? He hired Moody whom 
we have never seen teach. I am guessing he would have been very 
similar to Crouch as he tried to immitate him and Crouch was an 
excellent teacher.

Lockhart is the only choice I don't understand, as I am sure that 
Dumbledore knew he was a fraud. Perhaps he had no other candidates 
and took him as a last resort. Or maybe it was his quirky sense of 
humor? Lockhart was one of the funniest characters in the entire 
series...

Salit