Why should Harry be expected to listen to anyone at Hogwarts?

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 122737


Lupinlore:
> There has been a huge discussion about Harry and whether or not he
> should trust Snape.  My question is why on earth would Harry trust 
> any of the staff at Hogwarts?  Because they are teachers and he is 
> a student?  That is balderdash and reprehensible balderdash at 
> that. Were Harry my son I would be praising him to the skies every 
> summer for refusal to place trust where trust has not been 
> earned.  It is the responsibility of the teacher to prove 
> themselves worthy of trust and respect, not the responsibility of 
> the student to respect someone just because they managed to wangle 
> a job out of some Board of Trustees.
  
Tonks:
> I totally disagree. A teacher or anyone in a position to be one's 
> superior is to be treated with the respect afforded their office. 
> If a parent has a problem with a teacher they have the right to be 
> heard. And if there is justification, the teacher can be let go. 
> But a CHILD is to be respectful to every adult simply because they 
> are an adult. And to a teacher because they are the child's 
> superior. 
 
Alla:
> Respect to the teacher, who mistreats him. Why? Simply because he 
> calls himself a "teacher". I say it is not enough to respect him.


SSSusan:
I'm with Lupinlore, too.  I am somewhat torn, knowing that this is 
a "traditional British boarding school" setting, which means there 
probably *is* a degree of "You must respect the professors simply 
because they ARE" going on, but I don't think that overrides the 
side of me which believes that respect should be earned.

I'm sure y'all get tired of hearing people like me say, "Well, when 
*I* was teaching..." but here I go again.  When I taught [in 
the '90s, in the U.S., in a public (American definition) secondary 
school], my Big Rule #1 was respect; that is, I expected my students 
to display respect for others.  OTOH, my part of the bargain was, if 
they were respectful (of me, peers & humankind), they also would be 
treated with respect by me.  IOW, I expected to have to earn their 
respect, which I did earn in large part from being fair [hint, hint, 
Master Snape].  

In short, I think it's good to BEGIN w/ an outlook of respecting the 
*office* of professor, but fair to drop the automatic respect if the 
professor has given reason to lose it.  

Now, for Harry, this is complicated in the Snape case by his always 
assuming Snape's an evil bad guy and thus misinterpreting some of 
Snape's actions.  So I would argue that, in some things, Harry 
should have respect for Snape [his having saved his life in the 
Quidditch match, his status as an Order member, etc.].  But as his 
own Potions teacher, for instance, I think Snape has blown it 
himself, and I don't blame Harry for not respecting him or, perhaps 
more accurately, for not trusting him.

 
Lupinlore said:
> Who has earned Harry's trust (in terms of staff)?   Certainly not
> McGonagall, who shows herself time and again to be incompetent at
> securing fair treatment for him (Snip) And yes, it IS McGonagall's 
> job to secure justice for Harry in these situations.  This is 
> especially the case in that Harry has no parents to intercede for 
> him independently.  
 
Tonks:
> McGonagall is Harry's teacher, not his parent. Yes, he has no 
> parents, but things are tough all over. She is not his parent and 
> it is not her job. Her job is to teach and as Head of House to 
> make sure that the students are safe and well behaved.
 
Alla:
> Let me ask you a question. WHOSE job is it to protect Harry from 
> unfairness? Because I thought that if child is an orphan, the job 
> of his Head of the House is more than just to teach him.


SSSusan:
In this I align myself with Tonks.  I think Harry's pretty much on 
his own.  Isn't that also part of the "life's tough, deal with it" 
mentality of the British boys' school?  I don't think McGonagall 
owes him a parent-like relationship.  And I do think that she has a 
great fondness for Harry which comes through many times [the Nimbus 
2000, the willingness to do "whatever it takes" to help him become 
an Auror, etc.].  He's still frightened of her because she's strict 
and commanding, but I don't think he lacks respect for her, nor 
finds her untrustworthy.

Siriusly Snapey Susan, who has serious reservations about hitting 
the "Send" button, as she's just imbibed a rather substantial glass 
of chenin blanc.