[HPforGrownups] Re: Teaching Styles

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 147828

On 8 Feb 2006 at 15:30, sistermagpie wrote:

> Magpie:
> 
> And yet that's not true.  Snape is very popular with the Slytherins, 
> who cheer wildly for him when he's made DADA teacher.  Narcissa says 
> he's Draco's favorite teacher, and he seems to be.  (Draco's offer 
> to "put in a good word" for Snape with his father seems perfectly 
> genuine to be in CoS, as does Snape's reaction, and OotP also hints 
> at a friendly relationship between them pre-Pensieve.)

Shaun:

Well, let's look at this.

Do the Slytherin's 'cheer wildly' for Snape when he becomes DADA 
teaxcher? Not from my reading.

"'Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising his voice so 
that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position 
of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.'

'No!' said Harry, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction. 
He did not care; he was staring up at the staff table, incensed. How 
could Snape be given the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after all 
this time? Hadn't it been widely known for years that Dumbledore did 
not trust him to do it?  

'But Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching Defense 
Against the Dark Arts!' said Hermione.  

'I thought he was!' said Harry, racking his brains to remember when 
Dumbledore had told him this, but now that he came to think of it, he 
was unable to recall Dumbledore ever telling him what Slughorn would 
be teaching.  

Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, did not stand up his
mention of his name; he merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment 
of the applause from the Slytherin table, yet Harry was sure he could 
detect a look of triumph on the features he loathed so much."

(HBP)

Wild cheering? Hardly. Some applause yes - but applause that isn't 
loud enough to block out Harry's cry of 'No', when we are told that 
Dumbledore had to raise his voice just to be heard over muttering. 
That to me, is hardly a ringing endorsement. Yes, the Slytherins clap 
(and no mention is made of any applause from the Hufflepuffs or the 
Ravenclaws, but perhaps Snape was merely too rude to acknowledge 
them), but he is his their Housemaster - it would be very odd indeed 
if there was no applause and mere applause isn't that impressive.  

As for Narcissa describes Snape as Draco's favourite teacher, yes, 
but at the time she seems to be flattering Snape, so I'm not sure how 
much strength we can give that. I am inclined to agree that this is 
probably true - but Snape *specifically* favours Draco.

"Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson
continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a
simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak,
watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing
almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like."

(PS)

Half the class above is Slytherin - and yet Draco is immune from 
criticism being inflicted on most of the class. Yes, I think Draco 
likes Snape. But I think that may be because Snape *specifically* 
makes an effort to be nice to Draco.

Being liked by Draco - who he singles out for special treatment - 
doesn't really suggest to me genuine popularity in general with the 
Slytherins. I expect (and hope - because he is in loco parentis over 
them) the Slytherins like him more than people from other houses do.

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
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facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
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