Is Snape a good teacher?

[greg_a126]

No: HPFGUIDX 132406

So this thought got me out of bed and onto my computer.

Two weeks ago, there was an argument being held at this site as to 
whether or not Snape is a good teacher.  The question being, if 
Harry, Neville, Ron, et. al get E's and O's on their Potions OWL, 
does that make Snape a good teacher?

I think the one, has absolutely nothing to do with the other.  

Tell Dumbledore on the day that Harry's parents died that Voldemort 
is coming back in 15 years.  Tell him he has two choices for his new 
potions master: one who will make sure every single student who walks 
through his class room gets an O on their exam, but when Voldemort 
returns, loses his whole house to Voldemort's ranks.  The other is a 
jerk, whom no one will like.  Who will treat 3/4 of students 
unfairly, who may or may not be a good enough teacher to get any of 
his students through an exam.  But, during those 15 years, he 
develops enough close relationships with the students in his house, 
the Voldemort has to go elsewhere for his DE's.  Who is DD going to 
choose?

I think it has to be taken for granted that DD'd rather have the guy 
who's going to keep the next generation of Slytherin house out of 
Voldemort's clutches.  Draco (for instance) hates Harry.  Draco sees 
that Snape hates Harry.  Draco goes to his head of house, says, "My 
dad wants me to become a DE, I'm not sure that I want to start 
killing people, what do you think?"  Without Snape at Hogwarts, who 
would he go to to talk about that decision?  Would that then make him 
more likely to become a DE?

Harry's grandparent's generation of Slytherin produced LV, Harry's 
parent's generation produced his DE's, is 15 years of Snape running 
Slytherin house enough to stop the trend?  In conclusion, Snape is 
going to be judged a good teacher or a bad one, not on the results 
his students get on their exams, but the results they get in life.  
How many Slytherins of the past 15 years become DE's?  How many will 
join the Order of the Phoenix?  The answer to that, and that alone, 
will determine his success as a teacher.

Greg