The word’s aflutter with the release of the new Harry Potter movie, which made my kids take the opportunity to watch a previous version, specifically the Order of the Phoenix. We were all snuggled up in bed watching when it occurred to me that the character Dolores Umbridge is a great example of a worldview, specifically a view of education, gone very wrong.
Her perspective is all about:
- unquestioned authority
- top down approach
- “I’m the teacher and I know everything”
- “you’re the student and you know nothing” (and I’ll do everything in my power to put you in your place)
- use of coercion and force
It’s a Head Life Lensâ„¢ on a very bad day: paying attention to concrete, tangible things in the extreme with no sensitivity (her use of punishment is down right abusive)
It’s a Destination Life Lensâ„¢ on a very bad day: Delores is only concerned with pleasing the Ministry of Magic and getting the school in shape.  She’ll do anything to achieve that goal. In her mind the end justifies the means.
It’s a Carrot Life Lensâ„¢ on a very bad day: attention to minuscule, unimportant details
It’s a Stop Life Lensâ„¢ on a very bad day: adherence to tradition for the sake of tradition, no willingness to try anything new
Check out the clip below to see her in action. If you’ve already had a teacher with this worldview you have my empathy. Whether or not you have, may you never have one again.
