Hermione and Snape. Was: Re: Accio 2005 press releaseTrial of Snape

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 128335

>>Phoenixgod: 
<snip>
>My problem is with Snape defenders. People who have these elaborate 
fantasies about why Snape is the way he is and justify his actions 
through contortions of logic that boggle my mind.  Snape just isn't 
a good person or a good teacher.
<snip>
>I think you give Snape too much credit when you call what he does a 
teaching method. I think Snape doesn't really have one. His *method* 
is merely barely concealed contempt for his students. We've never 
even really seen him actually teach. IIRC, most of the lesson's 
we've seen him do are just putting directions on the board and 
giving out homework.<
<snip>
>I don't really see him as a teacher at all because I don't think 
that there is any evidence that he actually cares if anyone even 
learns Potions.  To me, that is what separates Snape from a stern 
teacher who wants to convey knowledge. Snape is mean because he 
doesn't want to be bothered.<

Betsy:
I *have* to jump in here, because I one hundred and fifty million 
billion percent disagree with you on this, Phoenixgod.  And I don't 
feel that I'm building elaborate fantasies nor do I think I'm 
contorting logic to do so.

I think Snape is a *brilliant* teacher who quite enjoys his job.  
The opening scene, his speech, his delivery, his dramatic twirls, 
his pointed questions, all point to a man who *wants* his class to 
hang on his every word and to understand they'll have to give 110% 
if they have any hope of pleasing him.  There's a reason Hermione 
was quivering at the edge of her seat, *eager* to prove her 
knowledge to him.  The *only* thing I think Snape did differently in 
this class was to pound Harry with his questions.  I'm betting he 
usually spread his impossible to answer questions around in order to 
impress the need to go beyond the usual surface readings upon all 
his students.  (I doubt he'd have ever called on Hermione though.  
The whole point was to get the "I don't know" answer.  Hermione 
showed that she didn't need the extra motivation the less studious 
students needed.) 

As to the readers seeing Snape teach, we see him teaching just about 
as much as we see McGonagall teaching.  If we went solely on what we 
read in the books we'd have to say that McGonagall's teaching method 
was to set a task and make the students repeat it and repeat it 
until they finally picked it up on their own.  JKR isn't interested 
in giving us an *actual* Potions class, just as she isn't interested 
in giving us an actual Transfigurations class.  So she gives us 
shortcuts.  No one acts out in either Snape or McGonagall's 
classes.  JKR specifically tells us that neither teacher needs to 
expend any effort at getting their class to come to order or listen 
to the teacher.

We're also specifically told that Snape teaches above the required 
Potions levels for the different age groups (something an 
uninterested teacher would *never* do - too much extra effort) and 
that his students have a high pass level on their OWLS -- again, not 
the mark of a disinterested or incompetent teacher.

Actually, this is the area where I feel that those arguing Snape is 
a terrible teacher tend to bend logic.  They disregard Snape's high 
pass rate.  They insist that if Harry and/or Neville did well on 
their OWLS it will be because of outside study or something equally 
unsupported by the books.  The proof is in the pudding in this case, 
IMO, anyway.

>>Phoenixgod:
>I would argue that Snape does have a moral duty to every student, 
his house or not. These kids are away from their parents ten months 
out of the year. They need more than just a head of house for their 
personal supervision.  Do you really think that if Harry went to 
Flitwick or Sprout that they wouldn't do their best to help him? 
That they wouldn't do their best for any student who came to them? 
Snape owes those kids no less.  Dumbledore does a disservice to 
every child in his school by putting a person who seems to not even 
like children all that much in charge of a very important piece of 
their education.<

Betsy:
And yet, Snape has helped Harry, outside merely teaching potions, 
from the first book on.  He kept Harry on his broom in PS/SS and in 
OotP Snape may well have saved Neville's life (the comment to Goyle 
or Crabbe to lessen up on their choke hold) and he was certainly 
responsible for saving Harry and Neville and Ron and Hermione and 
Ginny and Luna by informing the Order of what Harry was doing.  

I'm not suggesting that Snape is Harry's best friend or that he's 
constantly looking out for Harry's emotional well-being.  But he has 
consistently looked out for Harry physical well-being in a way that 
Flitwick and Sprout may well have done themselves but haven't.  I 
think the only person who's been more responsible for keeping Harry 
alive and unharmed has been Dumbledore.

>>Phoenixgod:
>Snape's style (poor as it is) does not suit far more children than 
it does suit imo.<

Betsy:
Seriously though, how do you explain his high pass rate then?

Betsy who's off to see Hitchhiker's Guide and so hopes this post 
made some sort of sense