Teaching Styles

[catherine higgins]

No: HPFGUIDX 148052

Shaun wrote:
>> (1) The students are being asked to mix a 'simple potion'.

(2) Neville's mistake is an elementary one - he did not follow the 
correct procedure.

(3) Snape can tell from looking at the results precisely what mistake 
Neville made.

Consider what this passage tells us.

This is over two years later - and Neville has once again made an 
elementary mistake. He has got the procedure wrong. It isn't 
complicated to follow a procedure. It doesn't require great skill or 
intelligence. Any student should be able to do this.

'What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?'

It's a very good question - because obviously if Neville after two 
and a half years is still making the same mistake in potions classes 
that he made in his very first lesson, something is wrong. <snip> <<


I think what most people are forgetting is that Neville suffers from 
poor self-esteem, first of all. Secondly he has what could pretty 
much be deamed a deep-seated *phobia* of Snape. His Boggart is Snape, 
not a severed hand, giant spider, monster or anything else. His fear 
is absolutely true, and being so fearful *never* lets someone live up 
to their potential. It's not the pressure of Snape classes that do 
Neville in as demonstrated by him actually doing OK during his 
Potions Owl. Not everyone is good at following "simple directions". 
How is it that one person can bake a cake perfectly using a 
particular recipe, and another fail miserably following the exact 
same recipe? What may be simple to you, might not be simple to 
another. Right from the beginning Neville says he didn't think he 
was "magic enough" to get in to Hogwarts. 
   
  Snape on the other hand, is simply not a nice person. Can he teach? 
Yes. Does everybody like him? No. Would I want my children to have 
him as a teacher? Absolutely not. Some people will respond well to 
his methods (which I see as being one of two things: favoritism and 
bullying) The ones he favors will either do well because of it
(Malfoy, Nott perhaps?), or do horribly (Crabbe and Goyle) and be 
left in peace. The ones he bullies will either fall to pieces 
(Neville) defy to do well depsite of his attitude (Hermione) or just 
suck it up as long as is necessary and try to do your best (Harry, 
Ron). Unfortunately, we only see how he treats Slyhterins and 
Gryffindors. But only 3 Ravenclaws (the most intellectual) and 1 
Hufflepuff (the hardest working) managed an Owl in the subject, or 
decided to continue with Potions thinking that Snape would be 
teaching.
   
   That to me says more than any offhand quote someone may have made 
about him. Either not many people did well in Potions to receive an 
Owl in it, or not many people wanted to continue with Potions because 
they didn't like him. 
   
  jmo, Cat