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

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 128404

Betsy:
> I guess I'm confused about what you mean about "learning to their
> potential." <snip>
> I feel that the kids *are* reaching their full potential - they're 
> just being dragged kicking and screaming to get there. <snip>
> However, I think we do evaluate a "good" teacher differently. I
> think if the students learn and remember their subject, you've got a
> good teacher. If the teacher gives his students a strong
> understanding of their subject and lifts them to higher than 
> expected levels, I'd bump that teacher up to "very good".


SSSusan:
I've snipped it all down to this, because 1) I'm at work with little 
time to devote to this and 2) I think it's a good distillation of the 
difference between us.

Snape is, imo, fully prepared to teach, in terms of the CONTENT of 
the course.  Snape is, imo, fully competent to DEMONSTRATE 
potionmaking.  Snape has, imo, a real love of potionmaking.  So far, 
so good, right? :-)

However -- and for *me* it's a big "however" -- what Snape lacks is 
the desire to do what I think a person has to do to qualify as a 
truly "good" teacher:  work to bring out the best in each of his 
students.  In fact, he does something worse than ignore that part of 
teaching; he actively takes actions which cause the opposite in some 
students.  

Because of the availability of information in canon, I'm focusing on 
Hermione, Neville & Harry.  

When Snape started with Harry's & his classmates, he HAD a student 
who was all gung-ho and enthusiastic in Hermione.  Now, should he 
allow her to share all her knowledge, should he call on her every 
time her hand is in the air?  Of course not.  Who among us *hasn't* 
been in a class with someone like Hermione?  A teacher who lets a 
student like that do ALL the work is not in control of the class and 
is not helping anyone.  OTOH, has he done anything to encourage her 
enthusiasm or her love of learning?  Not that I can see, and in fact, 
he's pushed her down.  He has insulted her and called her a "know-it-
all" in front of her peers.  Is that the mark of a "good" teacher?

In Neville, Snape faced a kid who's naturally bumbling & nervous, and 
Snape's berating and intimidation have served to make Neville MORE 
nervous & bumbling.  I offer up, yet again, Neville's Snape!Boggart 
in Year 3.  And *if* Neville has made progress in Potions since then, 
I'd still argue that it has been in spite of Snape, not because of 
his good teaching.  IOW, Snape has done nothing to assist Neville in 
overcoming his weaknesses besides yelling at him.  I don't see that 
as good teaching.

When Harry entered Snape's class, he had no reason to dislike Snape, 
yet Snape has fostered a loathing and mistrust that have made Harry 
SHUT DOWN, rather than work hard.  Is that partially Harry's fault?  
You betcha.  But were Snape's actions and his continual, across-FIVE-
years, fostering of that animosity the mark of a *good* teacher?  Not 
to me.

In my opinion, in each of these cases, we find examples of a teacher 
who does not bring out the best in a student.  There is *always* a 
responsibility on the student's part, too.  Yet for a teacher to be 
considered a really good teacher in my book, s/he will have to NOT do 
things which actively cause a student to do much less than he or she 
could  do.

Of course, the actions taken are in character and very Snape-like.  
I'm not saying Snape could have managed to do it any other way, given 
what I see as his "limitations" (hee).  What I am saying is that, 
because of his actions with these three students (at least), I cannot 
call him a "good" teacher.

YMMV of course.

Siriusly Snapey Susan