This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.
Best Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher
This one is a great question since there was a different teacher every year.
1) Quirrel appeared to teach them the theory, but that stuttering every five seconds would've made it very hard to listen to what he was actually trying to say.
2) I think everyone can agree with me that Lockhart was a complete joke who just shamelessly pilfered his own products during his stay as DADA teacher.
3) Lupin was definitely a fantastic teacher, but did have to take time off for his little furry problem.
4) "Moody" - well the quotations there say a lot, but he absolutely showed the kids a thing or two.
5) Umbridge took the kids so backwards with the whole not being able to use magic thing that certainly undermines what they were able to learn. Not to mention that she was just beyond horrible and hated by everyone. I would make it a point NOT to learn anything in her class just out of spite.
6) Snape wasn't shown a whole lot as teacher in this subject, but he knows the material well. The fact that everyone hated him also wouldn't have been a productive teaching method.
So based on my opinions here, I would say Lupin is the best by a large margin, followed by "Moody" and then Snape as designated teachers on the subject.
However, it was Harry himself who was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as the head of Dumbledore's Army.
He started with easy defensive spells that were scoffed at, but it was quickly apparent that the kids needed to polish up on even the simplest spells before moving forward. He also taught them that it was not only important to know spells, but to be brave, and to have friends.
Anyone that can teach Neville how to do things that none of the teachers had managed to gets my vote on this. Not only Neville, but so many other kids that hadn't picked up near the amount of defensive skills that Harry had mastered. The members of Dumbledore's Army went on to help at all the important Battles including the final Battle at Hogwarts.
So based on my opinions here, I would say Lupin is the best by a large margin, followed by "Moody" and then Snape as designated teachers on the subject.
However, it was Harry himself who was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as the head of Dumbledore's Army.
He started with easy defensive spells that were scoffed at, but it was quickly apparent that the kids needed to polish up on even the simplest spells before moving forward. He also taught them that it was not only important to know spells, but to be brave, and to have friends.
Anyone that can teach Neville how to do things that none of the teachers had managed to gets my vote on this. Not only Neville, but so many other kids that hadn't picked up near the amount of defensive skills that Harry had mastered. The members of Dumbledore's Army went on to help at all the important Battles including the final Battle at Hogwarts.
I always wonder how different HP would be if Hermione was the main characters because she is so great with the spells. Would she have been better as the leader of the army?
ReplyDeleteOh you are BRILLIANT Jaclyn, I never thought about Harry and you're right: he was THE BEST DADA teacher! He taught all of Dumbledore's Army so, so much! And he got them all to be able to produce charms that were way beyond their year! Harry really did shape that gang into amazing witches and wizards and their skills became dead useful in later books. Awesome answer^^♥
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go with Snape for one reason. If you remember, in the third book where he is challenging the class with page 394, he wants the class to figure things out for themselves. He challenges people to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions. I would have lived him for a teacher probably.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think Lupin was the best of the HIRED teachers as well, but Harry was seriously the best. That's who I picked for my HP MOTW this week! I like the way you broke them all down too!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I forgot about Harry, lol. Picking up Umbridge's slack in Year 5 was so invaluable for the DA, especially since they ended up putting everything they learned from him into action.
ReplyDeletetotally agree with you Harry was the best teacher for DA :)
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting concept. In this version, Defense Against the Dark Arts is the only subject where Harry bests Hermione in grades and exams. However, if she was the main character that was put in front of Voldemort as often as Harry, it would make you think she should have that real life experience that he has over her.
ReplyDeleteI was sitting here thinking about how Neville turned into this amazing hero at the end of the story and what brought him to that point. Of course, his drive and determination to be an excellent wizard was a big part of it, but he would never have had the skills if it wasn't for Harry. That gave me my answer right there :D Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! He absolutely wants them to think for themselves and he had a fierce desire for them to learn to be able to defend themselves as well since he knew what they were up against. I think it's a great choice.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely :D Lupin definitely taught them a lot, but Harry gave them the most hands-on experience and training that brought them to the point of being fantastic witches and wizards.
ReplyDeleteForming Dumbledore's Army was a brilliant stroke from Rowling. I love how it not only bonded them against Umbridge, but that they learned so many valuable skills. It also put into the spotlight how much more advanced Harry actually was for their age.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :D
ReplyDeleteLockhart is probably one of my favorites too because, using your words, he was a complete joke. He made me LAUGH XD Lupin is top one, I guess. He was a teacher the students could really learn from. But reading what you said, Harry is definitely a great teacher.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I agree! I think Harry was best
ReplyDeleteMy family concurs with you on Lupin. Sky would like to argue with you over Harry, though. :) To sum up her opinion, she says Harry wouldn't have been so invested in Dumbledore's Army if it hadn't been a way for him to rebel. *ha*
ReplyDeleteLockhart was so full of himself!! Thank you so much for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
ReplyDelete:D Thanks so much for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI agree with her on his initial reasons for being the leader of the group - he just wanted to stick it to Umbridge!! However, when he realized the kids were learning things, he took pride in being the one teaching them and began to 'plan out DA lessons in his head' as they went about their normal routines. I will say that he became very passionate about it and that if it wasn't for him, they wouldn't have all gotten high marks on their O.W.L.'s or have been able to offer as much support in the battles that they did.
ReplyDelete