Why Should Students Like to Have Severus Snape as a Teacher?

Abstract

Although he was initially presented as a hated and partial teacher because of his ambiguous behaviours in J.K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the character provided a plot twist that shed a positive light on his admirable characters. This study aimed at elucidating Severus Snape's praiseworthy characters that make him an exemplary teacher. As an interpretive study, the reading was conducted in Miles, Huberman, and Saldana's model of interactive qualitative analysis. The data were collected through repeated reading of the novel to identify Snape's characterizations, which were then condensed and reduced into those that represent positive traits as a teacher. These positive traits are elaborated to provide a comprehensive data display which leads to conclusion drawing. The four processes were concurrently conducted to allow trustworthy analysis. The analyses reveal four values, including discipline, hardworking, social awareness, and responsible, that identify Severus Snape as a good teacher despite his nature as an unfriendly individual. Pedagogically, students need teachers with these traits. Thus, the reading of the novel should be accompanied by the more critical impetus that prevents students and children from misjudging Severus Snape at face value merely because he cannot endorse the main characters' dangerous exploits.