Snapes Attitude towards the Students

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 108180

stephenflynn001 at y...> wrote:
>> Does anybody know if Snape has every been disciplined for the 
actions and behaviour towards not just Harry but all the students 
outside of Slytherin. It seems ridiculous that a person with his 
temperment and obvious chip on his shoulder should be responsible for 
childrens development.

sad1199 replied:
> I don't remember Snape ever being disciplined. But, then again, I
> don't remember ANY students going to the proper authorities about
> him. The only students he is purposely worse than nasty to are
> Harry
> and Neville.

Angie added:
>> Snape was particularly vicious to Hermione when her teeth grew
abnormally large from a curse Malfoy put on Hermione and Snape said
he couldn't see any difference. That's just plain cruel. <<

HunterGreen:
Cruel, yes, but something he needs to be *disciplined* for? Probably 
not. First of all, we cannot judge Snape's teaching by our own 
standards, Hogwarts has a considerably much more old-fashioned 
approach to teaching. And on top of that, they don't seem to be 
overly aware or concerned about mental health. 
And secondly, even with my VERY different school-experience, I have 
heard teachers make comments about students before, and I never 
thought 'ooh, they could get in trouble for that...', because I doubt 
they would have. 
Other than the comment about Hermione's teeth, is there any other 
particular *incident* he needs to be punished for? Because it all 
seems to be general nastiness to me, which is not pleasant for Harry, 
but nothing he can get Snape in trouble for (and he wouldn't, anyway, 
that's not really Harry's style).

>> The students shouldn't have to report him. DD seems to know 
everything else that goes on. Between the pictures, the ghosts, and 
DD's ability to be invisible, as well as his knowledge of Snape and of
things in general, I just can't see how DD doesn't know about Snape's
viciousness. <<

I don't doubt that he knows. I think that it isn't the way *he* would 
teach a class, but it gets the job done. The students are learning, 
no one is getting scarred for life, and he doesn't (as far as we 
know) seem to be breaking any WW teaching rules (if there even are 
any). 

>> Snape may be excellent with potions and may be a true
DD supporter, but unless his nastiness is a cover for something else
to which we are not yet privvy, he shouldn't be allowed to teach. <<

I can't see any reason why he shouldn't be "allowed to teach". 
Perhaps if he was teaching first graders, but these are eleven-year-
olds and up, and they are learning a very precise skill -- one that 
could kill people if done wrong -- and they are going to enter what 
can be a very difficult world to get along in (in many ways harder 
than the muggle-world). Teachers are not there to coddle the 
students, they aren't there to pamper them, and since this is 11 and 
older, they shouldn't need constant encouragement for *everything* 
they do like 5-8 year-olds need. Not everyone is nice, Snape happens 
to be one of those people. Not good qualities perhaps for a nanny or 
a counselor, but for a teacher of mainly teenagers, not something 
that disqualifies him.

>> Maybe we are to assume that DD brought Snape into HW for a very 
good reason which has yet to be revealed.<<

I think the reason is pretty obvious. Not only is Snape an excellent 
potion-maker (are there many potions teachers out there? there may 
not be), but Snape is handy to have around, as he has shown many 
times.

>> Which leads me to wonder what Snape's profession was before he was 
a teacher? <<

Potion-maker for the DEs, most likely. Although I guess he'd have to 
have a 'reputable' job, perhaps he was just a potion-maker. Someone 
working for St. Mungos, or for shops in Diagon Alley (well, with 
Snape it was more likely Knockturn Alley).