People have been poking fun at the Harry Potter franchise for years now and it’s usually been a lot of fun without getting too serious. In the past several years the focus has shifted in a big way to J.K. Rowling and the things she’s said and the Fantastic Beasts movies and why they’re disappointing the fragile, opinionated fans. But there are still moments when it’s funny to think about how absolutely flawed Hogwarts and its professors really are. When one thinks about it, there are a lot of issues that were glossed over when experiencing Hogwarts, largely because it kind of ruins the fantasy. Here are five reasons why the Hogwarts professors were great, and five reasons they were terrible.

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10. Terrible: They weren’t seen to teach practical skills. 

Seriously, almost everything was geared toward cultivating skills that were meant to make life easier in some manner or another. But where were the classes that showed the students how to build a home, or Health class, or Mathematics? I guess those were classes that the students were expected to experience in the muggle world. Who needs to know how to create something when they can wave a wand?

9. Great: They allowed the students to learn at their pace, kind of.

The professors do grill the students on certain subjects and do a lot to keep them on track. But at the same time, they don’t exactly lean over their shoulders that often and allow the students to fail or pass on their own merit. They might take interest in some students, but otherwise, they’re very hands-off at times.

8. Terrible: There doesn’t appear to be a priority on vetting professors.

For a school dealing with anything and everything magic, it feels hard to figure out how the vetting process works, since the fact that Voldemort used one of his servants to hitch a ride, literally, into Hogwarts was a huge breach of security. And then in the Chamber of Secrets, it was seen that a charlatan was hired on. What exactly does the hiring process entail, a warm body that says “I’ll take it” to any job offer?

7. Great: They do make learning interesting.

This could go either way with a lot of people since the professors all have their own way of teaching. Some are a bit questionable, but the fact is that if one is willing to deal with a few dangerous creatures and spells gone awry, then this educational experience could produce a lot of great memories.

6. Terrible: They trust their students with dangerous weapons.

One might think that there would be plenty of magical safeguards to prevent students from hurting each other and themselves, but the fact is that the wands they use can be harmless, or they can be insanely dangerous. This was proven more than once during the movies and it’s fair to think that giving such a weapon to a young child is anything but a wise decision. What about puberty, when emotions run high and people are known to do stupid things?

5. Great: They trust their students with dangerous weapons.

On the other end of this argument, it does show a great deal of trust, and it does make a person think that the students of Hogwarts are expected to conduct themselves responsibly. The risk of course is being expelled or, worse, they could end up being hurt very badly. One has to think that those born and raised in the wizarding world would have a firm knowledge of what kind of dangers they might face regularly.

4. Terrible: They didn’t teach any non-magic skills.

Anti-magic must not be a big thing in this world, but it is worth noting that if there were a way to get past a wizard or witch’s wand, then a lot of them would be utterly helpless since they don’t know how to fight, or so it would appear. Teaching some basic fighting skills, both unarmed and with various weaponry, might be a good idea if Hogwarts is bound to send their students into dangerous situations.

3. Great: Obviously, their students learned something. 

The students did graduate from year to year and they did move on when they were done with Hogwarts, so it’s fair to say that they did learn something from their teachers. But considering that they have to take care of a great deal of their learning, it feels as though the teachers are glorified mentors at times.

2. Terrible: Their students were usually in terrible danger at any given time.

Numerous things proved to be extremely dangerous within and outside of the school, and the students were often subjected to many of them. From a troll in the girl’s lavatory to a basilisk in the bowels of the school that traversed the pipes, to the fact that a dark wizard was ready and willing to torch the school upon his return. We have issues in the real world, but nothing like this.

1. Great: They were powerful enough to defend their students.

This is a good note to end on since as many issues as Hogwarts has, the teachers were, at the very least, accomplished wizards and witches. This means that if they needed to, they could and would defend their students. Sometimes it’s best to focus on the fantasy.