Positions in Book 7 Re: ESE!McGonagall (not what you think)

[cdayr]

No: HPFGUIDX 164710

> Pippin wrote:
> > 
> > She has a number of staff positions to fill, not only DADA but
> > Transfiguration, Head of Gryffindor, and Deputy Head. Any
> > guesses whom she might pick, considering that JKR says we've
> > met all the important characters?

<snip> 
> carol notes:

<snip very good points about DADA curse (I do love that DADA curse), 
other candidates>

> HoH of Gryffindor is harder. Are any of the teachers at Hogwarts
> currently Gryffindors other than Hagrid? And would Hagrid be a
> suitable candidate? Would he even want the job? (No offense to 
Hagrid
> defenders. I'm only asking.) It might be easiest to hire a talented
> Transfiguration teacher who was also a former Gryffindor and kill 
two
> birds with one stone. I agree that Tonks would be ther perfect 
choice.
> The kids would love her, and her Metamorphmagus abilities would get
> their attention just as effectively as McG's ability to transform 
into
> a cat. I can defintiely see her teaching Transfiguration rather 
than
> the cursed DADA position though I realize that she's a talented 
Auror
> as well.

This entire thread has me thinking about teacher preparation and 
training in the WW. In RL, teaching itself is a profession one 
chooses- it has specific skills, knowledge and philosophy required 
and is a calling. Some are drawn to a very specific subject, but 
others, like myself, are drawn to the profession and the subject 
taught is secondary. In fact, as an elementary teacher, I teach 
everything. It is interesting to me (and I'd never thought about it 
before today) that all of the teachers that we know well at 
Hogwart's are entirely subject specific- as far as we know they were 
hired because they are good at the branch of magic that they teach 
(and hey, most of their names match their fields too <g>). Even in 
discussing possible replacements, as in this thread, the only 
candidates we have are working professionals in other fields 
(Tonks), or someone well meaning who just happens to be around 
(Hagrid), who would, we can only hope, be able to relate at all to 
children and teach at some basic level. 

Now, this is not a rock-solid argument at all...for all we know, 
Flitwick and Vector and Sinistra are all teaching professionals 
first and experts in their field second. But really, the faculty of 
Hogwart's reminds me more of a faculty at a university than a 
secondary school (meaning faculty who are into their subjects, and 
have to teach as part of the ability to work with their subject all 
the time- some being skilled teachers, and some not so much). And 
let's see...Trelawney is there for protection, Snape to be a double 
agent, let's not even start with DADA...where are the Teachers?

Maybe I'm just feeling a bit defensive of my profession that any old 
person with a Gryffindor background and skill at transfiguration 
might be the new teacher (by the way, this is defensive towards the 
possible new teacher selection in DH, not towards Carol, who I think 
is right on in her post). 

I do think a number of the teacher's at Hogwart's are excellent, in 
very different ways, and certainly we know a number of them are sub-
par. In my view this is one of the most realistic things about the 
entire series- this highly esteemed school having a number of 
middling or poor teachers and several who come and go. However, at 
some point, can't the Head of School just post an ad and get some 
darn *teaching* candidates in, instead of just convenient 
replacements?

Sorry for the rant, truly directed at no one but felt good anyway.

> Carol, betting maybe half a (nonexistent) galleon that at least 
some of her predictions are correct

Celia- who wouldn't take that bet, because I think you would win!