Lessons For Educators From Hogwarts

Before I dive into this topic, I want to point out that it’s not just for homeschool families. No matter what school choice your family has made, YOU are the primary person your child is learning from, not their Sunday school teacher, not their coach, not even the teachers at the local Christian school. Try to think of the following points in terms of everyday life with your children, not just academic learning.

Rare is the person who has read the Harry Potter books and not wished they could attend Hogwarts. What is so enchanting about this school? I don’t think it’s the use of magic. So is it that they attend in a castle? Is it the house competitions? Or the amazing game of Quidditch? I think part of the appeal lies in the different approaches to education that the Hogwarts staff take, approaches that vary greatly from those commonly used by instructors today. Here’s a few things I’ve noticed from one or more of the Hogwarts teachers.

1. Hogwarts teachers don’t rely on textbooks but instead take a practical approach to learning.Professor Lupin starts off his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson by telling his class “‘Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today’s will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands.’” For most of us who have been educated according to what is considered “normal” methods, this sounds impossible. How can kids learn multiplication without a textbook? How can they learn grammar without a workbook? Yet, if we dive into research on learning methods, we will find NOTHING supporting learning from textbooks and workbooks. In fact, when I learned to teach math in college, we were told that ALL children need to learn math first tactilely (through the use of things they can manipulate with their hands), then pictorially (representing problems with pictures), and then they can finally move on to abstract math problems like we remember completing in math class. This is true even for adults; think about the last time you learned a new skill. How did you learn it? Did you read a textbook on it? Or fill in the “steps” on a worksheet? No, I'm guessing someone instructed you on the steps in person or maybe through a YouTube video, then you practiced doing them until it became natural. When I learned how to post things to this blog, my husband sat down beside me and walked me through the steps while I did it. If he had told me what to do and walked away I wouldn’t have remembered any of it. Of course there’s a time and place for textbooks; but if our school experience consists only of textbooks and workbooks, then I can say with confidence we aren’t learning.

2. Hogwarts teachers don’t operate off of preconceived ideas of their students. Okay, this obviously isn’t true of all of them; if you’ve read the books you know that Snape hates Harry because he sees him as being the same as his dad. But for a moment, let’s focus on the other professors and how they react to Harry. None of them see him as a “celebrity” like the rest of the wizarding world does. While they compare his looks to Lily and James, they don’t assume his behavior will follow theirs. The same is true of Ron; nobody assumes he is mischievous like Fred and George or smart like Bill and Percy. Even Hermione doesn’t carry the weight of being “different” even though she comes from a Muggle family. What a gift to not place the pressure of expectations on our children! The next time you find yourself thinking “I know how this is going to go; they’re going to throw a tantrum/get scared/not be able to do that assignment/fill in the blank,” pause and decide to give them the chance to try. If we live our lives as parents in fear of our children failing, then they’re going to grow up unable to take risks and live with courage. Remember that it’s okay for kids to fail; this is how we all, as humans, learn. And you may be surprised by how often your kids do the opposite of what you expect; I know this has happened many times in my own parenting journey.

3. Hogwarts teachers share their passion for their subject with their students. Professor Trelawney wants all her students to see “grim” foretellings. Hagrid can’t wait to show the hippogriffs to his first class. Professor McGonagall is clearly excited to transform into a cat in front of her students and is disappointed when they aren’t excited by it after hearing Trelawney’s prediction of Harry’s death. Even Snape tells his students that potion-making is an “art.” Think back to your favorite subjects/classes in school. I’m willing to bet that the teacher was passionate about their subject. Maybe they made class extra fun and full of life through games and hands-on learning. Maybe they picked the very best books to read with you in English class and then debated the theme with you, treating you as an equal in learning. Our kids are going to care about what we care about. When we are passionate about church and reading God’s Word, they will be, too. When they see us reading for fun, they will, too. Just last week, both of our oldest daughters told us they want to start blogs since they’ve seen me working on this one. I hope I’m instilling a love of writing in them by modeling it for them. But, a word of caution: We can go through the actions all we want, but we truly show what matters to us by our attitudes. I can take my kids to church every Sunday, but if I spend the car ride there and back grumbling about how hard it is to get everybody out the door and how I won’t hear any of the sermon because of the 3-year-old anyway, THAT is going to be what my kids remember. It’s okay for your kids to see you struggle with things; but when they see that attitude from you day in and day out, that is going to be what sticks with them.

No matter what education path you’ve chosen as a family, spend some time today thinking about what (and how) you are teaching your family. Are you spending consistent time as a family in God’s Word? Do your kids see you reading? Are you modeling a healthy marriage for them? I had to write this post to myself first, because I’ve struggled with all of these things at some point in time, and many I still struggle with. Take your struggles to the Lord and let Him show you how to teach your children; after all, He is the greatest of all teachers.