Would an "O" for Harry vindicate Snape?

[prncssme]

No: HPFGUIDX 131467

> Alla:
> If they passed OK, then at least it would answer a question for me 
> whether Snape is a good teacher to other Gryffs or not, because his 
> remark about high pass in his classes does not care much weight with 
> me.
> 
> JMO,
> 
> Alla.

Princess Sara:

   Hmmm, I'm not remembering what his comment was exactly about a high pass rate but 
I'm curious why it doesn't carry much weight. IMO, Snape is very much like Hermione when 
it comes to how much the students should know. Hermione reads and does homework 
well in advance of when she actually needs to know the material. Similarly, Snape wants 
students to be pretty advanced when it comes to the "core" material of his class. For canon 
example, see his stint as DADA teacher in book three. Therefore, I don't think it would be 
that far out of the realm of possibility for even poor Neville to do way better than expected 
on their potions OWL. Snape is quite possibly teaching at a higher level than would 
normally be expected of fifth year students.

    That being said, I really do think that most of Snape's behavior in the classroom is an 
effort to force his students to perform to his exacting standards. In a subject involving 
dangerous ingredients, open flames, and possibly deadly consequences for mistakes, his 
expectations make a fair bit of sense. Perhaps his methods are misquided (I personally 
don't subscribe to the "scare them into line" method of teaching, but I digress) but if it 
gets results and keeps his students safe, I can see why Dumbledore would let him 
continue.

   Which actually leads into my theory about why Dumbledore doesn't let Snape teach 
DADA. I think that Snape would continue to use the same methods in DADA that he 
employs in Potions but with far worse results. Because DADA is not nearly as dangerous as 
Potions (even in Barty!Moody's class, the kids weren't ever in real physical danger), there 
wouldn't be a place for the scare tactics or rigid control needed in Potions. In that 
situation, Snape's methods WOULD cross the line into abuse (you got me to admit it! ;o) ), 
a fact that Dumbledore is very much aware of.

- Princess Sara