Harry Potter: 10 Rules Hogwarts Professors Should Have Followed

While the Wizarding World is different from our own in many ways, the emphasis on education remains a constant. For seven years, students at Hogwarts are taught the basis of magic, transitioning straight into a field of industry they're passionate about. This training comes from their Professors, who guide them through their magical education. While many of the professors at Hogwarts are skilled magic users and educators, there is often a severe lapse in judgment when it comes to the care of their students. Policies and practices in place at Hogwarts tend to do more harm than good, and are easily correctable. As such, here are 10 rules that Hogwarts professors should start following immediately if they value their jobs and students safety.

10. Teach Countercharms On Day One

Charms is one of the most practical forms of magic taught at Hogwarts. The act of affecting people or objects can be used in a variety of ways, often to varying effects. Why then, is it the immediate emphasis not on teaching students how to undo magical effects? Many students are injured or affected by poor spellcasting during their time at Hogwarts; an emphasis should be made early on in teaching them how to undo stray curses or spells.

9. More Than One Professor Per Subject

Hogwarts total student body size is one that has many fans stumped. While J.K. has given the official count to be anywhere from 600 to 1,000 students, more realistic elements have it placed closer to 300-400 students instead. This is still quite a bit for a single professor to handle at once. Especially given the fact that they are juggling seven years worth of lesson plans and an unknown amount of classes on top of that. Having a single professor teach an entire subject doesn't make sense from a mathematical or educational standpoint. Hiring some adjunct faculty would help give a more hands-on experience to the Hogwarts student body.

8. No More Forbidden Forest Detentions

David Bradley as Argus Filch in Harry Potter

This one seems like a no-brainer, but it somehow bears repeating. When Ron, Harry, and Draco are caught after hours in the first book, the most fitting punishment for these 11-year-olds is to be sent into the Forbidden Forest.

You know, the one that has the giant man-eating spiders, Centaurs who hate outsiders, and other dangerous creatures. Yeah, that Forbidden Forest. There is absolutely no reason to have this be a form of detention for students caught out after curfew. It's dangerous, unethical, and doesn't accomplish anything other than endangering student's lives.

7. Simulated Environment For Astronomy

One of the more unknown classes at Hogwarts is that of Astronomy. Harry's description of the class is typically vague or glossed over quickly. One of the few things we do know is that they have midnight classes every week to study the stars. Why though? There is an entire hall that can demonstrate the weather happening outside at any given time. Not to mention that poor weather at night would make the class pointless. Why not have it in a magically constructed room in the middle of the day so young individuals aren't staying up until midnight for a class that doesn't seem to truly affect their magical education that much?

6. Bring In Guest Speakers

It seems as though the only academic exposure stu

dents at Hogwarts get is from their professors. But as we've seen from professors like Lockhart and Umbridge, that exposure varies in its usefulness. Having guest speakers come in to teach about magical concepts or spells would give students a new insight into magic. It would also give professors a much-needed break by having someone else help teach for a little bit.

5. Break Up House-Specific Groupings

Students at Hogwarts appear to be broken up by both their house and year size for their classes. Typically they are also joined by another house of the same year, but that sometimes seems up in the air. When one looks at it objectively though, this system makes no sense. Not only does it rigidly enforce an "us vs. them" house mentality, it does nothing to award more or less house points to a specific house. If a class is filled with Gryffindors, then it makes sense that any correct answer or job well done would give points to Gryffindor only. By having classes be a mixture of students from different houses, it would help bond students that wouldn't typically know each other and gives the house point system more meaning.

4. Consistent Class Schedules

It's admittedly difficult to determine if the class schedule in the Harry Potter series is due to a lack of oversight from Rowling or the faculty. Regardless, it's a system that needs overhauling. Certain classes seem to meet multiple times a week (often having "double" periods) while others meet significantly less.

What purpose does that serve other than to prioritize one subject over another? Having a set amount of hours per week each course has to fulfill would help streamline the educational requirements each student needs.

3. Word Length Homework Assignments

Typically, homework is only given to students who don't complete their coursework in the time allotted. This is a surprisingly progressive and forward thinking system. Unfortunately, the system used for homework makes little to no sense. Homework is done by how many inches is written on a sheet of parchment. Given that there are no set lines, how does this ensure an equal level of homework? Changing over to a system where the essays need to be a set word amount makes far more sense for students to fill. There's guaranteed to be a magical word count spell that teachers could use as opposed to pulling out a ruler.

2. Don't Give 13 Year Olds Time Travel

Chalk this up to a "what were they thinking?" moment on the faculties part. When Hermione Granger shows herself to be a brilliant and gifted student, the response of the Hogwarts professors is not to give her a more challenging or hands-on workload. Instead, they give a 13-year-old girl a magical device that can be used to travel back in time so she can take more classes. The potential abuse of power for any student to have such a device is extremely high, even if it is Hermione. How does one prevent someone from cheating using a Time Turner, or doing something worse? While Professor McGonagall's heart was in the right place, giving one of your students the ability to travel back in time has more negative consequences than positive outcomes.

1. Guidance Counselors

The day-to-day life of a Hogwarts student is chaotic enough on its own right. Add in school emergencies like the Chamber of Secrets being opened or having to host a European magical tournament and it's surprising that more students don't lose their cool. Adolescence is hard enough in the Muggle world, and it must be even more so when you add magic to the mix. It should almost be required for each student to have some sort of guidance counselor, either to check in on them or give them advice when it turns out their professor harbors the man who killed your parents on the back of his head. The emotional well-being of the students must be on a razorwire a majority of the time; having the staff oversee this would help improve learning in their classrooms.

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