Special treatment of Harry or not WAS:Re: Lessons in the book

[lorelei3dg]

No: HPFGUIDX 146096

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ceridwen" <ceridwennight at h...> 
wrote:
 
> Ceridwen:
> My gripe is with the rule-breaking in ordinary incidents.  Such as 
> talking in class, and wandering around after hours (with or without 
> cloak), sneaking into Hogsmeade despite warnings for his life in 
PoA 
> and suchlike.  <snip> I 
> don't think Harry should get a pass for ordinary infractions just 
> because he's The Boy Who Lived.  That, and the various mysteries he 
> solves in the books, doesn't mean he can carry on a conversation 
with 
> Ron in class, for one instance.  His studies are important for him 
to 
> progress to the point where he can defeat Voldemort.  And the 
> sneaking into Hogsmeade was forbidden to him for the very point 
that 
> his life was supposedly in danger.
> 
> My other gripe is the cavalier attitude toward detention.  Instead 
of 
> being ashamed that they broke the rules (in an ordinary manner), 
> they're offended that they are being disciplined.  The hero, his 
best 
> friends, and the narration, all seem to say that detention is no 
big 
> deal, it's quite all right to have it, it proves your goodness 
> instead of proving that you were doing less than you could have 
done 
> to make the most of school.
> 
> I do happen to think that the kids seem to consider themselves 
above 
> the rules ordinary students have to follow, in these examples. 
<snip> 
>Ceridwen.


Speaking as a teacher(7 years high school, 5 years middle school), 
this has become completely normal behavior for almost all students: 
nearly everyone carries on conversations in class at some point and 
to some extent, and those who are reprimanded or sent out of the room 
to reflect on how their behavior impacted the class respond with 
incredulous cries of "I wasn't doing anything!" They don't seem to 
have the maturity to value that moment in class or understand its 
impact on their future. After all, it was only for a moment, you 
know. 

As far as detentions go, at least in the middle school where I 
currently teach, detention is the most-used consequence by far. As 
such, it's so common that there is no longer any shame attached to 
it. There is still the occasional student who becomes quite upset at 
receiving a punishment, but for the most part it means nothing to 
them.

While these responses from students does make me worry about the 
future of education (if not our populace in general!), they are 
universal enough that I would have been suspicious of a Harry who 
paid careful attention all the time and showed remorse after every 
infraction or detention, and I think he would have become a less 
believable character for young readers as well.

Lorel