A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 665 Getting on the Right Track
The advent of online wizard chess almost kept the Gryffindor students up very late again.

During lunch break the next day, Ron showed off his new toys in the courtyard, which quickly attracted the attention of students from other houses.

People would come to Charles from time to time to ask when the product would be officially released.

In contrast, news about make-up exams and tutoring classes was much quieter.

After all, no one wants to announce to everyone that they need to retake an exam and study extra.

Charles was busy with the Ministry of Magic's security drills and continuing to optimize the large cooking model, so he didn't pay much attention to this matter.

That evening, after finishing his work at Farbatton Castle, he walked back to Hogwarts Castle and cleared his mind to relax.

However, as soon as he entered the castle, he was pulled away by Hermione, who had been waiting for him.

On the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, the corridor lights illuminate a large door with a bronze plaque bearing the words "Symposium on Academic Progress and Enhancement."

Hermione, persuaded by Charles, got the association started, and Dumbledore granted them special permission to use this vacant office.

The room still faintly smelled of old wooden furniture, but it had been tidied up and looked quite presentable.

Several old tables of different styles were pieced together, piled high with unfolded parchment, heavy textbooks, and charts filled with plans.

A huge list is posted in the most prominent position on the wall, with different colored inks carefully marking the students who need tutoring and the responsible "tutors".

After Hermione grabbed Charles, she pressed him down into a chair, and a burst of laughter erupted around them.

The table was surrounded by several core members of the tutoring group: Cedric, Hermione's second-in-command; Padma Pettier, whose sign read "Scribe"; and Theodore Nott, a fifth-year Slytherin student who looked terrified of Charles.

Charles glanced at Nott, remembering his excellent performance in Potions class and that his father was a Death Eater.

The air here is thick with weariness and anxiety, as if an invisible burden is pressing down on everyone's shoulders.

“The situation is more complicated than we anticipated.” Hermione sighed, rubbing her aching temples, her voice filled with unprecedented exhaustion. “The number of students who failed the surprise monthly exam at Umbridge far exceeded expectations.”

Cedric looked at Charles and continued, "Now, students waiting for tutoring, who want to catch up on their make-up exams and not miss Hogsmeade weekends, can organize several Quidditch teams!"

Hermione continued, "This is just the first batch, and we don't have enough manpower at all."

She emphasized the last few words, making Charles sense a deep sense of powerlessness.

Charles understood what was going on; the tutoring situation was tricky and had exceeded everyone's expectations, so Hermione still wanted him to help.

Next, Hermione told him about the progress of the academic progress and improvement seminar.

Ever since the monthly exam administered by Umbridge resulted in a large number of students failing, a wave of requests for help has surged forth.

Hermione followed Charles's advice and invited top students from various houses, such as Cedric, who had excellent grades, to join, and that's how the tutoring class started.

However, the difficulties they encountered were far more complex than they had imagined.

“The problem isn’t just a lack of manpower,” Padma said, looking at Charles, with whom she usually kept in touch because of Parvati. “Recruiting counselors is a daunting task in itself.”

"Hogwarts has no shortage of bright students, but very few are willing to spend the time and patience to teach others, especially those with weak foundations."

"Moreover, many people feel that this is a waste of precious time for studying and entertainment."

Her speech went straight to the core issue, setting aside factors such as enthusiasm and friendship, and confronting reality.

Cedric nodded, gave Charles a wry smile, and said, "What's more troublesome is that 'knowing how to learn' and 'knowing how to teach' are two completely different things."

"We often encounter the same problem, which we know, but we can't express in a simple and easy-to-understand way."

"It's like... it's like we're not speaking English."

"Several enthusiastic students gave up because they were discouraged by their inability to teach students."

He finished speaking and sighed.

“Moreover,” Hermione added, frowning, “even if someone is willing to teach, training qualified tutors takes time and effort.”

"We need to standardize teaching methods to avoid misleading students."

"But this requires systematic training, which in turn requires extra time and effort, which is precisely what many outstanding students are least willing to do."

After she finished speaking, she shrugged helplessly, then picked up the mint milk tea that Charles had brought back and took a sip.

Charles understood what was going on; it was within his expectations, or perhaps it was intentional.

“Okay,” he said calmly, “I understand the general problem you’re facing.”

I have a few suggestions.

All eyes instantly focused on him, holding their breath and waiting for what was to come.

"First, you need to obtain more substantial official support."

"Go find Headmaster Dumbledore, give him a detailed report on the progress, difficulties and plans, and try to get his explicit endorsement and more resources, such as the right to use a fixed classroom, logistical assistance, and maybe even financial support."

"Second, establish a standardized teaching process."

"We can't expect every counselor to be a natural teacher. We need to develop a complete set of replicable templates, from lesson preparation to delivery, and then to post-lesson feedback and targeted remediation." "We need to solidify proven and effective best practices and turn them into reference guidelines."

"Third, create a visible incentive system."

“Hogwarts itself has a house credits and special contribution awards system. We can discuss with the headmaster to link tutoring quality with these rewards, design fair, transparent and quantifiable performance rules, so that efforts are seen, recognized and rewarded.”

Fourth, cultivate a core culture.

"Relying solely on mutual benefits is not sustainable. We need to foster a group philosophy of 'mutual assistance and common progress' and create an atmosphere that gives members a sense of belonging, honor, and value."

His words were concise, clear, and to the point, leaving a group of young people completely bewildered and expressing their amazement.

Hermione's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she wielded her quill rapidly across the parchment.

Cedric nodded thoughtfully, his furrowed brows gradually relaxing.

No one doubted the validity of Charles's statement, because he had already proven his ability through facts.

Hermione, Cedric, and others spent two days discussing and refining Charles's proposal before heading to the headmaster's office.

To their surprise, Dumbledore seemed to have anticipated this.

He listened patiently to the presentation, especially to Hermione's relay of Charles's four suggestions, his eyes shining with approval.

Yesterday, Charles only mentioned the academic progress and improvement seminar, without going into details.

Dumbledore has recently been thinking about Hogwarts education and has found this to be a good starting point.

“Excellent ideas, Miss Granger, Mr. Diggory, full of practical foresight,” the principal said gently to the two students. “I fully approve of your approach and will provide the necessary support.”

“You must already know about the 'Requirement Room'. There are suitable classrooms nearby that you can use, so you don’t need to look for classrooms at the last minute.”

He paused, his gaze becoming deep, and said seriously, "However, children, you may encounter specific and subtle difficulties in implementing these clever solutions."

“The first one,” he said, holding up a wrinkled finger, “is the contradiction between standardized teaching and personalized styles.”

"To ensure basic quality, you need to standardize the process, but this may stifle the unique teaching methods of some excellent teachers."

"A possible solution would be to consider the freedom within the framework, and to unify the core teaching objectives, knowledge modules and effectiveness evaluation standards."

"However, counselors are given full autonomy in terms of specific teaching methods, classroom interaction, and examples."

"At the same time, we will establish a collective lesson preparation system and a teaching case library so that standardized content comes from the practical wisdom of excellent teachers, rather than cold administrative orders."

“The second challenge,” he continued, holding up two fingers, “is probably classroom management and maintaining motivation.”

"Students being tutored are already exhausted after a long day of intense classes. How can we maintain their attention during tutoring sessions?"

How to deal with absent-mindedness or negative emotions caused by frustration?

"This requires specialized and ongoing training for counselors, as well as regular classroom management skills sharing sessions and scenario simulation exercises."

"At the same time, counselors are required to understand the overall performance, personality traits and weaknesses of the students they are assigned to in advance, and to ask targeted questions and provide timely encouragement in class."

“Finally,” Dumbledore’s voice grew more solemn, “it is a matter of teaching passion versus professional burnout.”

“Teaching similar basic content repeatedly over a long period of time can make even the most enthusiastic tutors feel tired and bored.”

“We could try setting up reward and evaluation mechanisms,” a sly glint in his eyes, “to involve outstanding core counselors in the development of new Hogwarts courses and the design of new teaching aids, giving them new challenges and responsibilities.”

"We regularly organize internal teaching competitions and open class observation and evaluation meetings to inspire a sense of honor and competitiveness."

"To make them always feel that they are growing within this group."

"As for what to use as a reward, you can come up with a new, comprehensive plan, which McGonagall will review first before submitting to me."

Hermione and Cedric listened to the headmaster's advice and opinions, and suddenly understood that they had a direction for solving both the new and old problems.

They not only received the principal's unreserved support, but also gained a deeper level of guiding principles.

As I left the principal's office, the wall lamps in the castle corridor were already lit, their flickering light dispelling the evening chill.

Hermione clutched the thick notebook filled with advice, a familiar spark of fighting spirit igniting in her eyes.

Cedric looked at her spirited appearance and smiled, saying, "Hermione, the most important factor in whether an organization can survive for a long time is whether the foundation it lays at the beginning is solid."

"The Academic Progress and Improvement Seminar is getting on track. I can still help this year, but you'll have to rely on yourself after you graduate next year."

“You don’t need to trouble Charles any further. I heard from my father that he’s working on a big project with the Ministry of Magic, and the minister is personally overseeing it.”

"Furthermore, the large-scale trial of werewolf therapy is nearing its end, and further promotion requires work from the International Federation of Wizards."

"He'll be very busy from now on."

“I always felt that he and we were no longer from the same world.”

"The Potions Championship is going to be held again this school year. Preparations will begin after Halloween. I wonder if he will participate this year."

(End of this chapter)