Thoughts on Umbridge (long) (Was: Nice vs. Good, honesty, and Snape)

[littleleahstill]

No: HPFGUIDX 153031

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at ...> wrote: (snipped)

>> I'm not British, so I'm not on solid ground here, but I wonder 
whether
> JKR, who took some sort of course in teacher training before 
teaching
> French in Scotland, is covertly critiquing either the state-
controlled
> British school system or the educational theory that passes for
> teacher training in some places. (I could talk about my 
own "training"
> to teach when I received my B.S. in Ed. back in the 1970s, but 
that's
> ancient history and I'm an American. IMHO, matters have become even
> worse here--sixth graders  of my acquaintance can barely read and
> think that Afghanistan is in South America--but I'm more 
interested in
> whether there's a connection with trends in British education.

(snipped)
> 
 Does the depiction of Umbridge have any
> relevance to educational trends in the UK or the "dumbing down" of
> education? Surely it's more than a plot device to get a bureaucrat
> into Hogwarts to thwart the students' practical training in DADA 
and
> usurp control through her increasingly invasive decrees.
> 
> Or are we just supposed to hate her because she's mean to Harry?
> 
> Carol, hoping that someone will respond given the length of time 
she's
> spent composing this post!

Leah:

I certainly read Umbridge as in part a criticism  of increasing 
bureaucracy and control in the UK education system, and my husband, 
who works in higher education, hugely enjoyed Rowling's depiction of 
her.  Certainly diktats from the powers that be in his institution 
and its governing bodies are now referred to as Educational 
Decrees.  

Leah (who must do the washing, so a short reply to a long and 
interesting post)