[HPforGrownups] Teachers in the WW

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 144330

On 8 Dec 2005 at 10:51, festuco wrote:

> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Shaun Hately" <drednort at a...>
> wrote:
> 
> > I'd agree that the general standard of teaching at Hogwarts often
> > doesn't seem to be that high, and I would certainly agree that both
> > Umbridge and Lockhart are pretty lousy teachers. I'd give Trelawney
> > a little more credit personally - I think her subject is a joke, but
> > I'm not 100% sure she doesn't teach aspects of it well. I personally
> > happen to also have doubts about the teaching abilities of Hagrid
> > and Binns.
> 
> I don't completely agree. What we see is that almost all teachers
> except most of the DADA teachers are very competent in the subject
> they teach. Hagrid does know very much about taking care of magical
> creatures. Snape is a potions genius. McGonnagal is an animagus etc. 

There's a great deal of difference between knowing your subject and 
being able to teach it. I have absolutely no doubt of Hagrid's 
competence in caring for magical creatures, or his knowledge of the 
subject - but that doesn't make him a good teacher.

"'That was a really good lesson,' said Hermione as they
entered the Great Hall. 'I didn't know half the things Professor
Grubbly-Plank told us about uni-'

[...]


'We've got to go and see him,' said Harry. 'This evening,
after Divination. Tell him we want him back... you do want him
back?' he shot at Hermione.

'I - well, I'm not going to pretend it didn't make a nice change,
having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once - but I
do want Hagrid back, of course I do!' Hermione added hastily, 
quailing under Harry's furious stare."

(GoF, pp383-384)

"Harry did not want to tell the others that he and Luna were having 
the same hallucination, if that was what it was, so he said nothing 
more about the horses as he sat down inside the carriage and slammed 
the door behind him.

Nevertheless, he could not help watching the silhouettes of the 
horses moving beyond the window.

'Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman?' asked Ginny. 'What's she
doing back here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?'

Til be quite glad if he has,' said Luna, 'he isn't a very good 
teacher, is he?'

'Yes, he is!' said Harry, Ron and Ginny angrily.

Harry glared at Hermione. She cleared her throat and quickly said, 

'Erm... yes ... he's very good.'

'Well, we in Ravenclaw think he's a bit of a joke,' said Luna, 
unfazed."

(OotP, p.181)

Hagrid must know his subject. But that alone does not make him a good 
teacher. Some of what are presumably his most competent students - 
the Ravenclaws and Hermione - have made their judgement clear.

Historically, in the British Public Schools on which Hogwarts seems 
to be based, it wasn't uncommon for a teacher to simply be an expert 
on their subject - and some of them could teach it, and some of them 
couldn't. Just as seems to apply at Hogwarts.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia