Chapter 29: Living Up to the Title of Professor
Chapter 29: Living Up to the Title of Professor
As the name suggests, the so-called exam-oriented education means that all the learning and efforts we have made this year are aimed at the O.W.L.s exam at the end of the term.
Of course, it cannot be denied that everyone's family background is different. For some, this exam determines whether they will have a place in the magical world. For others, the number of O's and E's on their O.W.L.s certificate is of no concern at all.
Therefore, before we start the exam preparation plan, those of you who don't care about your O.W.L.s results can apply to me. After that, you will have the right to skip all the exam-oriented lessons.
However, once you decide to participate, you cannot drop out halfway until the O.W.L.s exam is over. So if anyone hasn't made up their mind, I suggest you don't join with a casual attitude. Even if you bring Professor Dumbledore here, the required coursework cannot be skipped.
Sherlock's warning before the class was very clear, which made all the students below tense.
Their studies in the first four years at Hogwarts were not particularly demanding.
In this castle, only the seven main course professors could be considered hardworking. The students' efforts in learning paled in comparison.
Thus, the relaxed learning atmosphere made them unconsciously overlook the upcoming O.W.L.s exam.
The new fifth-year students subconsciously thought that this exam was not much different from the regular end-of-term exams.
Only as the end of the term approached did some of them realize the importance of the O.W.L.s exam.
The O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level) exam and the N.E.W.T. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test) exam are the equivalent of a graduate's diploma in the magical world.
Given the small population of wizards, employment pressure is not significant, and there is no pointless internal competition.
The diploma exams are not based on a pass/fail system but on a grading system.
For example, in the O.W.L.s exam, as long as a student takes the test, they will receive a certificate for each of the twelve subjects.
The only difference is the quality of the grades on the certificate.
Even though employment pressure in the magical world is low, high-paying and prestigious jobs are not open to just any wizard.
For instance, Ministry of Magic civil servants and Gringotts' Curse-Breakers require high O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T. scores. (For example, Bill Weasley, who achieved 12 O's in his O.W.L.s and became a Curse-Breaker at Gringotts in Egypt)
Under normal circumstances, the relaxed learning atmosphere advocated in the West, combined with low competition, means that even students with poor grades can find a place in the magical world after graduation.
Without other forms of education intervening, students in school would not feel much pressure. After all, everyone is relaxed, and exams depend mainly on individual talent and interest in magical studies.
However, the reality is different.
In the few days since Sherlock's arrival at Hogwarts, he has investigated the recent Ordinary Wizarding Level exams.
He found that most students with good O.W.L.s scores come from families where both parents are wizards, known in the magical world as pure-blood families.
These students have a favorable environment for early magical education. Moreover, their parents, who are well-versed in the rules of wizarding society, put pressure on them to perform well in the O.W.L.s exam.
As a result, pure-blood families have an educational advantage over students from Muggle families, leading to better exam results and, consequently, better job prospects in the magical world.
This, in turn, allows them to provide even better education for their children, creating a cycle.
Students from ordinary Muggle families must have a clear understanding and strong self-discipline and self-study abilities.
Or they must have a great interest in magical studies to possibly outperform pure-blood students who start with an advantage. (For example, Hermione, but even Hermione, after dropping two subjects, only achieved 9 O.W.L.s, compared to Bill and Percy Weasley's 12 O.W.L.s.)
This is a common phenomenon in Western education, and even in the magical world, where Hogwarts is the only magical school in the entire United Kingdom, it hasn't changed much. (Or perhaps J.K. Rowling's views on education influenced her writing.)
Sherlock discovered this phenomenon from the books and materials in the previous owner's study before coming to Hogwarts.
Therefore, he had already planned the teaching strategy for the upper-year students from the beginning.
Test-oriented education can be arranged around exam content, which temporarily masks his understanding gap in advanced spells.
At the same time, it makes the competition in the O.W.L.s exams, at least in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a bit more fair.
This is a small obsession of Sherlock's, who, in his previous life, had succeeded in entering a prestigious institution through test-oriented education.
He always hopes that education can be more equitable.
Sherlock gave the students enough time to consider, but no one raised their hand to say they didn't care about the O.W.L.s exams.
Students from wizarding families especially understand the importance of the exams, and those from Muggle families are now 16 years old and beginning to realize that they will graduate from Hogwarts in just two years. They need to start planning their future.
After confirming that no one objected, Sherlock nodded slightly and then handed out the parchment he had placed on the lectern.
"Starting from this class, our exam preparation plan will be officially launched."
"First, we will conduct a class test to assess your current level of theoretical knowledge about dark creatures."
The fifth-year students had never experienced an exam on the first day of class.
Their upcoming studies in Defense Against the Dark Arts would certainly not be as easy as before.
By studying past O.W.L.s exam questions from the Ministry of Magic, Sherlock has already planned and organized a set of test materials, similar to the "Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulation" practice papers, implementing a sea of questions strategy.
In short, during his first week at Hogwarts, Sherlock determined different teaching methods for lower and upper-year students.
Since he is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Sherlock is doing his best to provide the most effective teaching for the students in this castle while ensuring his own safety.
At the very least, he wants to live up to the title of "Professor Forrest" that the students call him, right?
This chapter provides some insights and delves into the hidden social rules behind the Harry Potter world. Of course, some might argue that Hermione not getting 12 O.W.L.s was partly due to Umbridge being the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that year, but students like Hermione from Muggle families are indeed rare.
If anyone has a different interpretation or thinks there is something unreasonable about my explanation, feel free to bring it up here.
(End of Chapter)
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