In parts one and two of this series, we visited most of the teachers at Hogwarts and the different ways their classrooms inspired magic and genius in their students. There are a few left to go, but, for the die-hard fans out there, I must note that some simply didn’t make the cut for lack of exposure. Quirrell, the Carrows, Sinistra, Babbling, Hooch, and Vector, while all professors (and some even notable ones in the series), neither the books or movies spent enough time in their classrooms.
So, we are left with the final four: Dolores Umbridge, Severus Snape, Horace Slughorn, and Dumbledore. Let’s begin with the lowest of the low…
Dolores Umbridge – Hate, Bureaucracy and Oppression
In The Order of the Phoenix J.K. Rowling introduced the world to a character so despised that the horror writer Stephen King called her the “greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.” A woman so vile that she is somehow more dislikable than Voldemort himself. But why? Perhaps, because she is a villain who hits too close to home.
Her classes combine the worst of all the teachers. With passionless studying, like Binns, she requires her students to read from dull textbooks without talking during class. Structured, like Moody, her order is harsh, unyielding, and reeks of micromanaging, with her “Educational Decrees” restricting free speech for teachers, free press for students, and free association for everyone. Lockhart seems genuinely interested in his students compared with Umbridge, whose endless, consuming hunger for power leads her to undermine every teacher in the school. But her cruelty, prejudice, and use of rules to oppress her classroom and colleagues… that is what made her unique. Such teachers are all too real. They teach to tests, push for and enforce strict regulations, and are often beholden to forces which do not have the interests of students at heart. They can turn bastions of genius into prisons of the mind, where students feel that classes are chores rather than opportunities to learn. They fail to understand that fundamentally school is not about following rules, but fostering wisdom and intelligence.
However, Rowling brilliantly shows what happens in such an environment: genius will try to find another outlet. In the face of her useless classes, Harry and his friends created “Dumbledore’s Army” a class of their own design to teach others the things they needed to know. Our world is doing the same, creating outlets for those trying to escape some of the failures of our school systems. Online sites like Khan Academy are allowing students to take courses outside of the classroom, charter schools have provided more flexible alternatives for parents who want more for their children, and homeschooling organizations are making it easier for people to find educational communities that foster the genius they see in their kids. While each has its own challenges and hurdles, they are all a response to the same systemic failures Umbridge embodies, and prove something: if you don’t provide fertile ground for genius it will find another place to grow.
Severus Snape – The Bully
Only one other teacher is comparable to Umbridge in terms of awfulness. While he never went quite as far as she did, and was ultimately revealed to be fighting for the good guys, Severus Snape was not a good teacher. All throughout the series, he took pleasure in wielding power over Harry and his friends for the pettiest of reasons. Insulting his students, threatening their pets, displaying obvious favoritism, and always impatient with the slightest mistakes, Snape’s lessons were rightly hated by Harry and his friends.
What did this classroom environment do to his students? Well, despite the fact he was a genius at potions, he transferred none of that brilliance on to his students. They did not become particularly bad at the subject, but neither did they become particularly good, let alone extraordinary. In the end, he inspired only fear and hate, not genius, and squandered his chance to really teach his students. It’s sad, really, and an important lesson for others: both student and teacher genius is lost in an environment of hate.
Horace Slughorn – Pride and Favoritism
After Snape’s abuse the jovial, friendly Professor Slughorn was quite a welcome change. Like most of the other teachers, he was competent, helped his students grow, and created a warm classroom environment for anyone seeking to learn. Having helped so many students rise to prominence, Slughorn certainly had a Growth Mindset, and he lacked the hate or prejudice of other Slytherins, welcoming talent in Muggleborns as readily as in Purebloods. For the most part, he was a good teacher and a good man, but his one gaping flaw reveals a pitfall all mentors should seek to avoid.
Still, a Slytherin at heart, Slughorn’s version of pride and ambition expressed itself in his favoritism for certain students. During his many years at Hogwarts, he carried on a rotating “Slug Club,” for any pupil who he believed was special. In this way, he connected himself to powerful people and connected them to each other. But his judgment was often flawed, and he often failed to see both potential and danger in his pupils. Ron and Neville, both of whom proved their bravery and prowess by the end of the series, were both snubbed by Slughorn. Draco Malfoy, too associated with dark wizards, was also shunned at a point where he most needed good mentorship. Yet Voldemort, murderous and cruel, was given special treatment by Slughorn, much to his later shame.
By playing the role of king-maker teachers certainly can elevate some students above others, but in doing so they miss the hidden genius in many students. Nobody is perfect, but to the greatest degree, possible real teachers should strive to give their time and efforts equally to students, or otherwise miss out on wonderful people whose potential lies just below the surface.
Albus Dumbledore – Mentorship Through Self-Actualization
There is only one man left to mention: Professor Dumbledore, the wizard whose influence shaped learning at Hogwarts the most. Though he never taught a class, he taught Harry, personally, and the school as a whole, guiding all of his students to be better. Selfless, he gave up glory and fame to help young wizards find a second home at Hogwarts. Brilliant but never exclusive, he saw potential in people who others had given up on and gave them hope. Hagrid, Neville, Lupin, Trelawney, Draco, Snape, Ron- he gave them all second chances, knowing that they were good at heart and could grow into better people.
He taught Harry that love is the most powerful form of magic, and his own love for the students of Hogwarts was so great that even in death he ensured they would have some protection from the darkness. Wise, deeply passionate, never boring, with a kind soul and the heart of a warrior, he set an example that others were drawn to follow, both as adults in the Order of the Phoenix and as teens in Dumbledore’s Army. He inspired greatness and genius in others wherever he went.
Throughout the books, Dumbledore does one thing very different from other teachers. He lets his students figure things out for themselves and make their own mistakes. In the very first book, he gifts Harry his father’s invisibility cloak, giving him the ability to explore the castle at the risk of him breaking the rules. When he begins privately teaching Harry in The Half-Blood Prince he trusts Harry to help him retrieve a Horcrux, and, once he is gone, to find the rest in the series final book. He demonstrates how important it is for a mentor to believe in his mentees, and that the student’s path to self-actualization often has less to do with structure and more to do with love, independence, and freedom.
So we come to the end. But all endings are just beginnings to something new. I hope that the lessons of these fictional teachers can help us make better environments for genius, both in our classrooms and in our lives. The Harry Potter series has a lot of wisdom to offer.
Narcissism is a poor teacher. Fixed mindsets stagnate learning, while growth mindsets foster brilliance. Boring and chaotic learning alike are prone to fail, but structure and passion together succeed, even when fear is emphasized. Hate, cruelty and bureaucracy drive genius away, forcing it to grow somewhere else. No teacher, however brilliant, can pass on their genius in a culture of abuse and bullying. Favoritism, even well-intentioned, can be blind to hidden talents. And finally, the love and trust of a good mentor inspires the best in people. Taken together these things can help us better nurture genius in our classrooms by creating healthy learning environments. And perhaps, if we can do that, the world will even have a little more magic in it too.