Theres Something I Dont Understand In The HP Books And More Particularly, How We Are Supposed To Judge

There’s something I don’t understand in the HP books and more particularly, how we are supposed to judge Snape as a teacher.

Beyond all the hate-then-defense arguments—and believe me I’m the first one to defend him—the problem is that if Snape’s teaching was so bad, then how is it:

1 - every (or almost every) student succeeds their OWLs

2 - his lessons are "fairly advanced"

3 - there are relatively few students who fail in his class (2 or 3), and one of them succeeds his OWLs with an E and previously had bad marks only because he wouldn’t concentrate, while the others are ok in the end?

Asking this because right now, I AM having a bad teacher who puts pressure on me and more or less insults me. The result is that I am afraid (for my life) everytime I start learning how to drive (almost shaking in my seat) and last time I cried in the car. Feeling like I had quite the Neville Syndrome.

But the problem is: with a bad teacher, your class is NOT "fairly advanced" because students learn badly and thus more slowly; you do NOT succeed in your exams, only with lower probabilities; and if this bad teacher’s behavior is for everyone, then LOTS more people would fail.

So theoretically, Snape’s classes, if he were such a bad teacher (and some of his behavior is indeed callous), would be a ruin.

And this is so weird, because the books are supposed to present us a Professor Snape who’s such a meanie and a bad teacher—the author herself dislikes him and wanted to write him as a bad teacher—and yet it almost seems like the books and the author are showing that in the end, Snape’s ("mean") teaching style is actually a good thing, because it brings (arguably) good results.

Even when it comes to students who do not pay attention to his classes and don’t study a lot.

I’m sure this wasn’t the author’s intention, but then you wonder if... she would actually approve of this character’s pedagogic methods if only it weren’t Snape. Because in the end, she shows that his "callous, mean" teaching methods bring good results. Had she truly acknowledged them bad, then I think she wouldn’t have shown those positive consequences (since there wouldn’t be any).

Looking at other, "nicer" teachers’ horrible behaviours, it indeed looks like neither the author, nor Harry/the books, nor even the Wizarding World’s logic, has understood that this is a problem.

Image: The Drake meme with the “no” text saying “Snape is a tragic hero,” and the “yes” text saying, “Snape is basically an incel.”

Your daily dose of Snape shade.

Hi. I am looking for a tumblr post, I hope you could help me.

It was about Snape being trans. Snape was girl when he was young but even then he loved that his neighbors thought that he was a boy. (His dad wasn't happy, though)

He would wear big clohtes on purpose so people couldn't guess what gender he was.

At some point, her mother makes potions for him so he can slowly change gender and Snape is really happy.

He continues to take these potions at Hogwarts in secret.

He was afraid that Hogwarts would put him in girls dorminatory because he wasn't fully a boy, but when he realized that he was indeed in boys dorminatory he was really happy about it.

We've slithered around but can't find a post like this. Let's see if someone recognises your details:

Tumblr post

Snape is trans

The neighbours in Spinner's End thought Snape was a boy

Tobias was unhappy about this

Snape purposefully wore big clothes

Eileen brewed potions which allowed Snape to transition

Snape secretly takes the potions at Hogwarts

Snape was afraid Hogwarts would put him in the girls dormitory

Snape was very happy to be in the boys dormitory

Couldn't Snape be ambidextrous?

That’s very possible! Maybe ambidextrous with a preference for his right hand? Because seeing him use his right hand twice in situations where he needs fine motor skills (and I think especially in crisis mode when he is healing Dumbledore) to me indicates at least a slight preference for his right.

I just realized why Snape was so crazy in the Shrieking Shack, third book

He thought Sirius was the reason Lily died.

Snape has always appeared collected that far in the series and it always struck me as odd that he has such a huge and bloodthirsty reaction and then calmed down towards Sirius in OOTP.

Has everyone already known this?

if you interpret snape as jewish, wouldn’t that make the narrative and a whole slew of characters antisemitic