Before I start, yes, I did nick the idea for the title from Stephen Colbert's book, and I am paying him due deference, so don't write a bunch of crap about how plagiarism is bad. I already know that, and thank you for being aware.
I do a lot of pondering, which I've noted in my other blog entries. This time, I've pondered public education for a while. You know, just considering how much it sucks, and how much better it would be with more qualified and better paid teachers, and more funding. My school building is practically falling apart. How about yours?
But to get to the point, I was pondering at the same time the great education that Hogwarts offered the golden trio, and their magical peers. And I asked myself, what does Hogwarts have that we don't?... Besides the obvious magical powers, of course.
Well, for starters, Hogwarts has a great meal plan. I stopped eating the junky cafeteria food years ago, because, frankly, I couldn't figure out how that much cheese could possibly be healthy. School boards across the country should institute healthier meal plans, and help America cut down on obesity.
What's more, Hogwart's teachers have it good. Free housing, food, status, and a nice salary! Teachers' salaries should be able to singlehandedly provide all of these things and more and maybe then, the school systems won't be so short of qualified teachers. Increasing their pay will increase their social standing, as well as the percieved importance of the job, leading to more and more intelligent students pursuing careers in education. At this point, it seems as if teaching positions have their own curses, just like the DADA position. We may be able to find people to fill them, but most of the time, we end up with a Lockheart, or a Quirell... teachers that are uneducated or inept.
Plus, a little division might help foster interest in education. Maybe the Griffindor/Slytherin rivalry isn't so bad. In my ideal world, public schools would be set up in order to encourage students to pursue their deepest interests and talents. If you don't know what magnet schools are, where I come from, they are schools with concentration in certain areas that are set up for students who excel. What If schools were set up to where everyone had an opportunity to get into schools like that? Where students could take pride in their schools and their talent/ intelligence? My school is a magnet school for science and engineering, and we're in the top 50 high schools in America. It's worked for us.
Last, but not least, I would say that Hogwarts is a marvelous facility. It's not overcrowded, there are plenty of classrooms, adequate sports facilities (the quidditich pitch!), numerous restrooms, and proper tools and materials for hands on excercises (potions, herbology!). For all of these things, Hogwarts might need proper funding, but for the education of children, of the future, I think we can all agree that it's worth it.
Hogwarts is happy, and why can't we?
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I have to say that being a moderator I was a little scared of what I might find in a post with "Hogwarts is Happy" in the title, but I'm impressed. While Hogwarts is a fictionally idealistic school, you bring up some good points.
If teachers were better compensated and more respected, it would be much easier to find qualified teachers. Unfortunately in our world (as opposed to Hogwarts) this compensation has to come from somewhere, and while everyone seems willing to complain about incompetent teachers, few are willing provide the funding to adequately compensate teachers.
It never occurred to me that the competition between Hogwarts houses might improve students attitudes towards learning, but what you said about that makes sense. If students were allowed to specialize in an area they were good at and could be proud of, it would make sense that they would care more about what they were learning and put more effort into their studies.
The house setting, or similar small multi-age schools/groups within schools in the real world, would also promote leadership skills among older students, and encourage students at different levels to work together and learn from each other.
"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible."
Thank you for completely understanding what i was trying to say! I'm a Harry Potter dork, and sometimes i wish that things were like fantasies... this was my way of incorporating it into real life. Actually, a House system like Hogwarts has been incorporated in a few schools with great sucess. There's a school in England that I heard about in the news.
I know that the funding is not forthcoming... It's sad, because this should be one thing that no one has problems funding.
I agree with you on every point. A school modeled on the foundations of Hogwarts, as you described would better prepare students and teach them HOW to think for themselves, instead of WHAT to think and how to pass standardized tests. Are you thinking about getting into education yourself?
~~Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilites.~~
Gregory David Roberts
I'm not actually considering a job in education. i think i lack the patience. but i am thinking about getting into politics and improving conditions so that more people would consider going into education. it's an important issue to me.
That's great. You'd be able to make more drastic changes in the political or even administrative arena than you would as a teacher anyway.
~~Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilites.~~
Gregory David Roberts