Author: Berilac
In numerous fantasy narratives, a man, noticeably ancient, well-renowned, maybe even notorious - a man possessing knowledge beyond all human comprehension - becomes vitally important. This unique individual (almost always with a flowing white beard, crooked nose, and a calm disposition) is the crux of the primary plot, the backbone of the story, the one who assists the protagonist in countless ways. He educates and helps this particular character in the moments when emotions are the most frayed and when life becomes too confusing, even unbearable. He provides insight to those "below" him - remarkable insight, simple and obvious at the surface, but crucial deep down.
Dumbledore embodies this typical (almost cliched) figure. An old wizard, wise and all-knowing to almost everyone, he mentors Harry from the sidelines, bringing people to his aid when the occasion calls for it. Through Harry's perspective, we see an eccentric sagely figure - many times concise, other times flowing with witticisms (either sharp jokes or insane gibberish), but in essential moments speaking eloquent paragraphs about life and how to deal with problems that seem to attack from every direction.
But he is intelligent. Dumbledore is definitely intelligent from what Harry has experienced. He starts off immediately as a figure hoisted up onto an unreachable pedestal, almost godlike. The students listen to him (most of the time); Hagrid reveres him; McGonagall respects him; Voldemort fears him; Fudge is petrified of him.
From the first to the fourth book, we see a Dumbledore distant but always there, hovering overhead, still able to be close to Harry (especially after encounters with his adversaries), and still able to disclose insider information. During the fifth book, however, we see a change. Dumbledore distances himself from Harry more so than before. As readers, we become disconcerted by this and even angry at him (like Harry is) because we want to know why Dumbledore is doing this, why he does not get close to Harry when Harry needs it the most. The fascist Ministry members are no help in mending the line of communication between them both. And it isn't until the utmost of tragedies strikes in the Department of Mysteries that another facet of Dumbledore reveals itself and the stereotypical picture of an old, withering man with an endless amount of knowledge and a limitless array of mystery shatters into a million pieces. We realize Dumbledore has made a mistake. He holds off telling Harry the reason why Voldemort longs to kill him, why Voldemort attacked his parents, why Harry and Voldemort have that strange and frightening connection that strengthened over the past year.
Why does Dumbledore hold off telling Harry these bits of information? - Because he cares so much about Harry; Dumbledore has grown to admire and love him in such a way that he becomes afraid of putting even more stress upon a teenager who has undergone absolute hell over a five year period. Dumbledore does not act and do what he should have mainly because he fears that if he does, it will make it easier for Voldemort to kill Harry. Dumbledore simply does not want that to happen, he cares so much; he even disregards the safety of others, because he wants to keep Harry alive.
Foolish love? Dumbledore states he is a fool. Sure, it might be a bit foolish of him to act the way he did. Sure, the headmaster is fallible. But to make a mistake because of love appears all the more admirable. The headmaster becomes more complex - more enigmatic - after interacting with Harry in his office after Sirius's death. He has faith that what he has done is right; he still believes the prophecy; he wants to defeat Voldemort and the only way for him to do it is to protect Harry, to strengthen him, to love him, to prepare him for what lies ahead.
I expect exciting things to happen come July 16, and I also fear the worst when that day arrives. Dumbledore has been knocked down a few levels; he is not as deified as he once was. He has made mistakes like we all do. Before the fourth book, I believed 100% that Dumbledore could never die, would never die. Because he was perfect. Now, I feel with an almost frightening certainty, that he will meet his end before the series is over.
Author: Octavia Alabaster
If the images of teachers in popular culture follow us into the classroom, Harry Potter, the latest school-centred book/movie craze, cannot be ignored. Indeed, the Harry Potter books are the fastest selling children's books of all time, and they have been followed by three hit movies and a host of accompanying toys, posters, backpacks and other products. It can almost be guaranteed that the upcoming generation of high school students will have spent their "tweens" feeding this phenomenon, and it is also likely that some of them will have preconceived ideas about teachers and education based on what they have read in the books and seen on screen.
What they have encountered, in my opinion, are a great deal of teacher stereotypes. There is the lovable, though quirky, headmaster, Dumbledore. He is, in many ways, a stock character: the all-knowing principal. The only other option for a principal in most school-based tales is the cruel tyrant. In Harry Potter's case, it is his Potions professor fills this role. Severus Snape, his very name suggesting his cruelty, is the quintessential mean teacher who seems to be out to get his students for no particular reason. Lastly, Professor McGonagall embodies another beloved teaching stereotype: the stern teacher with a heart of gold. Harry's first impression of McGonagall is that she is "not someone to cross" (Rowling 85) yet the first time she has an opportunity to punish Harry - after a broom-flying incident - she does not. Instead, she recognizes his flying abilities and signs him up for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Perhaps worse than these stereotyped characters is the way the books and films perpetuate other common stereotypes and misconceptions concerning teachers and school. Many young children have a misguided belief that their teachers live at the school. The Harry Potter series does little to dispute this myth. All of the instructors live at Hogwarts and there is little indication that any of them have a life beyond their classrooms. This implication might suggest a central role for teaching in the novel, but that is not the case. Classroom learning and the teachers themselves are more of a subplot. The majority of Harry's adventures take place outside the classroom suggesting that real learning often takes place in informal settings and that, for many students, school does not revolve around their teachers and their lessons, but around their friends, their sports teams and their other extracurricular activities, which is certainly the view many of my students have of school.
In fact, when I posted a query about this topic on the Pensieve, one respondent observed that "the HP world is faithful to the student's perspective of education." Students do not sit and think about their teachers the way those of us in a teaching program sit and think about our students and our role in the classroom. No one seemed to agree that they were a bit stereotypical, but then none of those who responded will ever have to worry about living up to (or living down) these teacher images the way I do.
Yet I have become enraptured with the magical world of Harry Potter. I have read the books voraciously and have anxiously awaited each new book and film. But in recent months, I have begun to see these texts through the eyes of a new teacher and cannot escape thoughts about how teachers are represented in the book and my own reactions to their representations. For example, my favourite character is the seemingly heartless Snape who belittles and harasses his students. I certainly do not have malicious fantasies about making my students' lives miserable, so what does my interest in Snape say about me as a teacher? Upon reflection, I realized this interest in Snape has more to do with the subject I teach and my motivations for becoming a teacher than the kind of teacher I want to be. As an English teacher I find it hard to read a book without analyzing the characters, looking for symbols, exploring the themes, etc. Snape's character, in my opinion, is one of the more complex and interesting to read. He comes across as cold-blooded and cruel on the surface, but with each novel Rowling suggests that there is much more going on underneath. I believe that literacy is about more than just decoding the words on the page; readers have to think critically and read between the lines whether they are reading Harry Potter or the Sunday Times. I was drawn to teaching because I wanted to help young people learn these skills. And maybe, though it may sound corny, because there is something about teaching (and learning) that is a little bit magic.