Education, Teachers, Tests and Testy Teachers |
 Jul 22 2009, 07:28 PM
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Perusing the Magical Menagerie  Posts: 78 Joined: 8:03pm June 21, 2008 Location: Tidewater, VA  |
Hogwarts is, of course, a school and the theme of Education figures in all of the books. From the beginning, there was disagreement on what and whom to teach, especially between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. It seems that since then, though, not much had changed in the school except the names of the Headmasters, and all four houses have contributed to a well-run school, except for a slight difficulty in keeping the Defense Against the Dark Arts position filled.
In Order of the Phoenix, we meet Dolores Umbridge, arguably the most evil teacher created in literature, as the newest DADA teacher, assigned by the Minister of Magic himself. Umbridge begins the year with a speech about the need for changes at Hogwart's with a "balance between old and new…between tradition and innovation" (OotP, Scholastic hdbk, 213). After she is named the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Educational Decrees are passed at an amazing rate and the school becomes a government-run institution, with teachers being dismissed, including Dumbledore himself. The students and even teachers rebel against Umbridge's authority, which includes the use of corporal punishment. Meanwhile, the fifth year students are also dealing with the pressure of O.W.L.S., exams which establish what classes they will take in their upper years and what career track they will follow. There's a lot stress and anxiety, especially when Umbridge refuses to teach practical defense tactics to the students. We see the clash between teaching methods of teachers. We also see just how important education is for many of the students, especially the members of Dumbledore's Army, who secretly meet in order to teach and learn with each other. Let's look closer at Education in the Harry Potter books, especially OotP. 
-------------------- "Always have a vivid imagination, for you never know when you might need it." ~JKR
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