Trelawney as a teacher (was: Trelawney isn't a fraud)

[Mike]

No: HPFGUIDX 111517

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Susan Miller" 
<ConstanceVigilance at g...> wrote:
<snip>
> I'm saying is that we can't point to this incident as conclusive 
> proof that Trelawney is a poor teacher. We just don't know.
> 
> I'm standing by my opinion that she runs her class as a good 
teacher 
> should - using multiple authors' opinions and references.
> 
> ~Constance Vigilance, who also believes that Quirrell was also a 
good 
> teacher. Maybe not a good MAN during the one year that we knew him, 
> but not a poor teacher. But don't get me started on the Q-man.
<snip>

Mike, replying to a bunch of the previous posts:

I never meant to say that Trelawney was a poor teacher. It was in 
fact quite the opposite. I stated that Divination is a very hard 
subject to teach as most predictions and prophecies seem to be 
interpreted. This also follows with Crystal Ball Gazing and Tea Leaf 
reading. 

Sure, Trelawney's students visit her and I fully believe that Parvati 
and Lavender would fit into that category. However, she makes the 
Neville prediction on the first day of class. This means that Neville 
has had no reason to visit her previous to this occasion and I 
sincerely doubt that Sybill spends her time talking about other 
students in the teachers lounge ;)

As for Harry and Ron disliking Divination, I do believe that 
Trelawney's behavior is what makes her more annoying to them. She 
loves drama, so all of her predictions (wether true or not) all seem 
to have to be negative in some way. (Harry's doomed, broken teacups, 
things being dreaded, students leaving class and grave danger). I 
don't think they'd mind half as much if she would just lay off 
the "you're doomed" drama.

As for the Timelined predictions: You're right, it could have easily 
been a "good guess." It happened three times however which is a 
little more coincidental than I can ignore.

Trelawney didn't actually make a prediction with the Sight for 
Umbridge. She was loathing her, so she said Umbridge was in grave 
peril in hopes to scare her. Either way, that guess could have went 
50-50. Umbridge would either triumph in her regime at Hogwarts, or 
the students would rebel/she would be kicked out etc.

Mike, hoping that clears it up a bit.