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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