Remus Lupin: The Best Teacher at Hogwarts

I mean, except for the whole werewolf thing

I love Hogwarts. I love the idea of sorting kids into houses, it’s like an automatic buddy system. I love the House Cup and the subtle competition it engenders.

Oh Hogwarts isn’t perfect by any means. Quidditch competitions between houses might engender unhealthy competition. As much as I like a little danger, Hogwarts might be a little too dangerous at times. (Then again, only one student has died there as far as I know. Being the only wizarding school in the UK, that’s not too bad, right?) And every one of its teachers is pretty dull and uninspiring. Every teacher except for Remus Lupin.

tl;dr learn by doing

Remus Lupin taught Defense Against the Dark Arts for just one year. I suppose if I were to come up with a no-maj counterpart, it would be Cybersecurity, which I don’t think is taught in high school as far as I know.

Anyway, on the first day of class, he puts students in front of a boggart. A boggart basically turns into whatever you’re most afraid of, though as far as I know, it doesn’t present any actual danger. He tells the students how to defend against it, and then lets them all try it.

Throughout the year it seems he never gives a lesson out of the book, it’s always about ‘practical lessons’ as he calls them. Throughout the year, students battle real-life grindylows, hinkypunks, kappas, red caps, and more. For their final exam, instead of a test on how to defeat them, he creates an obstacle course full of these creatures.

It’s not always practical to have practical lessons for every assignment, but it’s a worthy aspiration.