The Brilliant Weasley Drop-outs
J.K. Rowling's Trickster Twins as Models of Intelligence that Counts
Delores Jane Umbridge, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Hogwarts High Inquisitor in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is a model of government-mandated, standards-based pedagogy. She believes that the point of school is the exam, that practical lessons are unneeded, and above all, that school should not produce citizens who will challenge governmental authority.
Fred and George Weasley apparently weren't paying attention in her class.
Harry Potter is a Commentary on Education
Six of the seven Harry Potter novels are set in the regular rhythm of a boarding school, and as such, J.K. Rowling is able to provide commentary on the subject of education. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's libertarian, apprenticeship-model educational practices is in stark contrast with Umbridge's Ministry-approved regulations. There's no subtlety in the fact that Voldemort's first move as behind-the-scenes dictator of the Wizarding World is to take control of education and mandate attendance for all. Rowling has a lot to say about education.
The Hogwarts High Inquisitor
Order of the Phoenix provides the most commentary on the subject, and Rowling takes every opportunity to satirize government-mandated, standardized testing practices. It's no coincidence that the year Harry, Ron, and Hermione take their first set of major exams, Rowling introduces Delores Umbridge, a tyrant who is sent to take control of Hogwarts and to make sure of one thing in particular: that Dumbledore is not secretly raising up an army to seize Cornelius Fudge's power away from him. Rules upon rules (educational decrees) are put into place under the authority of the Ministry, and an underground rebellion begins to brew as Harry and company conduct practical lessons in the hidden Room of Requirement.
The Weasley Rebellion: Tricksters at Work
Tyrants like Umbridge only have power until they are made to look like the fools they really are; in fairy tales, the "trickster" archetype is often the character who makes the foolish person look like a fool indeed. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, fill this role brilliantly. Umbridge is in almost total control of Hogwarts until the Weasley twins decide that they're finished with formal education. It's time to launch their joke shop, but they're not going to leave without raising a ruckus.
After the two stages of their rebellion - fireworks and a magical swamp - the Weasley twins leave Hogwarts for good, but not before their rebellion has stripped Umbridge of her power. She still occupies her position, but from that moment on, she's lost the control she previously had.
Learning that Counts
The Weasley twins disappointed their mother by not getting good grades and dropping out of school. But they weren't dumb; they just didn't fit the dominant discourse about what "counted" as real knowledge. They were more intelligent than Ministry-approved educational curriculum, having created magic that even Umbridge couldn't control. And they were more successful than a good many witches and wizards with all the right test scores and degrees.
Why? They pursued their passion, worked hard at it, and learned what they needed to learn to be successful, regardless of the foolish one-size-fits-all standards. Government-imposed educational standards like No Child Left Behind in the U.S. could learn a lot from a couple of trickster wizards.
References:
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 2003.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
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