While certain Harry Potter professors such as Snape and Remus Lupin get talked about a lot, there is one professor who deserves a lot more attention than she gets. Minerva McGonagall is one of the most important professors at the school, and she’s also instrumental in helping Dumbledore and others fight against Voldemort.
While she’s a rather intimidating person, there were also many things about her that made her a great professor. Here are the main reasons why McGonagall was the best Hogwarts professor as well as the reasons why she was the worst.
Worst: She didn’t get involved as much as she should have
While McGonagall was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and one of the people that Dumbledore trusted the most, she didn’t actually intervene with things as much as she should have.
This is especially true when it comes to Harry and his friends. She could have been a bit more involved in helping them and keeping them safe since she knew what they were going up against.
Best: She was tough but fair
McGonagall was the kind of professor that you wouldn’t want to mess with. She couldn’t be manipulated, and she wasn’t just going to give out good grades to people who didn’t actually work hard.
So, while she was tough and expected a lot, she also was fair. She didn’t punish people harshly, and she judged people on their work in her class more than whether she liked them individually or not.
Worst: She favored the Gryffindors a little bit
While McGonagall was definitely a fair grader, there was some element of favoritism. While her favoritism wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the other professors such as Snape, as the Head of Gryffindor, it makes sense she could be a little parietal to them.
But, at least, McGonagall did her best to let her preference for her own house impact her teaching, and this is more than can be said for most of the professors.
Best: She clearly was great at magic
While there are many talented witches and wizards from the series that fans talk about often, McGonagall often doesn’t get her due.
She’s clearly a very talented and skilled witch, and her magical skills are probably only second to Dumbledore’s at Hogwarts. Transfiguration is a notoriously difficult branch of magic, and she is a master at it which says a lot about her skill level.
Worst: There wasn’t a lot of room for failure in her class
While it’s true that McGonagall was overall a very fair teacher, she could be a little bit too intense. While wanting her students to work hard and push themselves was an admirable thing, being strict isn’t always a good thing.
There are times where letting students have some leeway and allowing them a second chance when they fail is important. They were just teenagers after all.
Best: She was one of the most experienced professors
While there were many Hogwarts professors that didn’t seem qualified at all, McGonagall definitely showed that she was a qualified professor.
Not only did she clearly know her subject inside and out, but she also had many years of teaching experience. During Harry’s time at Hogwarts, she had already been teaching for nearly 40 years.
Worst: She was too mistrustful of her students
McGonagall’s personality is rather severe, and she doesn’t just trust people easily. After all her time as a teacher, it makes sense that she would realize that teenagers can be a bit sneaky.
However, while being cautious and not being manipulated is a great treat, she would also be a bit too distrustful. This became a problem at times such as when Harry tried to explain to her about the Sorcerer’s Stone and she didn't’ take him seriously.
Best: Because she was secretly soft-hearted
While Professor McGonagall might have been tough and strict a lot of the time, and she definitely wasn’t someone who lets people get away with rule-breaking, she was actually really kind-hearted.
She wasn’t someone to let everyone see this side of her, but she did care about her students. The fact that she had this side of her was really endearing.
Worst: There were times she was way too hard on Neville
While McGonagall did a pretty good job of treating most of her students fairly, she could get annoyed at those she didn’t think were capable enough. Neville struggled in many classes, including hers.
While trying to get him to work hard was good, it was clear he didn’t respond well to intimidation or harshness, and he would have done better with a little more positive reinforcement.
Best: She could protect her students
By far one of the most badass things about McGonagall that made her a great person and professor was that she could and would protect her students.
She was the one to really rally and set Hogwarts defenses in order during the Battle of Hogwarts, and there were many other smaller instances that showed she was willing to protect them using her considerable skill.