Incompetent Teachers

[drliss at comcast.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 110621

Josh said:
> McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and other background teachers do 
> know their stuff at least... It is very tough to explain away 
> why Binns and Hagrid are left on/hired, but perhaps it has 
> something to do with a lack of applicants, or who the other 
> applicants were? The rest are easily explained. The DADA 
> position is impossible to fill. Lockhart was the only applicant
> for CoS, Lupin and Moody were special requests, and Umbridge got
> appointed because DD couldn't find _anybody_ willing to take the
> job. Trelawney and Snape (latter knows his stuff, too) are 
> tolerated for anti-LV reasons.


Lissa:

Having spent all but seven years of my life in school, I definitely have thoughts on this one!

I think teachers like Lupin are incredibly, incredibly rare.  I can think of maybe two teachers I had- in my entire career- that I would put on Lupin's level.  I'd say he's arguably the best teacher in the books- someone who not only knows his subject matter, but can truly communicate it to the students and cares for his students.

However, he's not the only good teacher in the books.  I agree that McGonagall, while not seeming the natural mentor-ish teacher that Lupin is, is an excellent teacher.  She's more stand-off-ish, but she's certainly not incompetent!  Same with Flitwick and Sprout, and I assume since we hear very little about them Sinastra, Vector, and whoever else are decent.  

But think about your own academic careers.  How many teachers did you have that just should not have been teachers?  I love the character of Binns as a teacher, because he falls into the "it's funny because it's true" category.  I've had WAY too many professors like Binns.  Unfortunately, I can see some of them dying and not noticing and just getting up to teach class the next day.  I've had a few like Trelwany as well, although perhaps not quite so melodramatic.  (The one I had that was truly dramatic is actually one of the few I'd put in the Lupin category.  Granted, he taught "Literature of American Musical Theater."  He was allowed to be dramatic.)

As much as there may be several people out there who want to teach, they aren't always necessarily good teachers.  And good teachers don't always teach.  I think Bill would make an AWESOME DADA prof based on the little whe know about him, and would take a class from him any day (if I was younger than him), but would he ever be happy in an academic career?  Possibly not.

Anyway, I never questioned why there's some pretty bad teachers at Hogwarts, cause Lord knows I've found enough of them in 23 years of schooling!!!!!!

Lissa

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