When fans of Harry Potter were first introduced to Hagrid, he was the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. But, in Harry’s third year, he became professor of Care of Magical Creatures. While Hagrid is definitely a fan-favorite character, this doesn’t mean he was always the best professor, but he also had things that made him a great teacher.
He always had the best of intentions, but that doesn't mean his actions were always justified.
Worst: He wasn’t a qualified wizard
Hagrid was unfairly accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets during his time at Hogwarts, so he was expelled for this. While it doesn't make a lot of sense, being expelled means you can never become a legal wizard or witch. So, the fact that Hagrid was teaching a class doesn’t seem quite fair cause he wasn’t very qualified on a technical level.
Best: He really knew a lot about magical creatures
While Hagrid might not have been a qualified wizard because of the unfair system, he was very prepared and able to take on this teaching position in other ways. Care of Magical Creatures is a subject that doesn’t really require a lot of magic anyway, and Hagrid knew all about how to take care of most magical creatures. So, at least in this sense, he was one of the most prepared of any Hogwarts professor.
Worst: He favored the Gryffindors
Favoritism amongst the Hogwarts professors was a big problem overall. While many fans point out Snape’s blatant favoritism, he wasn’t the only one who showed it at times. He wasn’t nearly as mean as Snape, but he did like the Grynffindors the most.
He especially showed favoritism to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and while this might not have been malicious, it still wasn't a great look for an official teacher at the school.
Best: Letting the students be hands-on
While Hagrid’s teaching methods vary in how effective they were, there is something to be said about the fact that he let the student really participate. He was good at planning lessons that let the students interact with the magical creatures such as the lesson with the Nifflers. He could have been a little more concerned with safety, but he did let the students really get to know what taking care of magical creatures was like.
Worst: When he had the students feed Flobberworms
After Draco didn’t listen to instructions and got attacked by Buckbeak, Hagrid’s ion for teaching took a hit. He was clearly shaken by Lucius Malfoy coming after him and Draco’s lies about the attack. Instead of keeping on with interesting lesson plans, he instead started just having the students feed flobberworms lettuce all class period long, and this was just a waste of their time.
Best: He cared about his students
Hagrid might have some technical areas where he didn’t know much about teaching. He wasn’t skilled in lesson plans or pedagogy, but he did make up for it by having a lot of heart. While he might have had certain students he knew better, overall he did want the students to learn. He cared about the students, and he also cared about the magical creatures he was teaching them about.
Worst: The monster book of monsters
While Hagrid might love magical creatures, he could also be a bit oblivious to the dangers. He had a tendency to love animals that could cause a lot of harm and to think that they were harmless. So, when he picked The Monster Book of Monsters as the class textbook, it was on brand.
While the book might have been funny if the students knew how it worked, the fact that Hagrid didn’t give instructions about how to use them safely meant that they were actually kind of a health hazard.
Best: Introducing Hippogriffs
This might not seem like it should belong in the best category given that Malfoy was attacked by Buckbeak, but he only had himself to blame. He was given clear instructions on how to interact with Hippogriffs safely and choose to ignore them. Hippogriffs were one of the most interesting and useful magical creatures from the entire series, and Buckbeak himself became a favorite amongst fans.
Worst: When he started bringing in illegal creatures that he bred
One of the worst things that Hagrid ever did as a professor was to start having the students take care of the Blast-Ended Skrewts. By breeding these dangerous animals form manticores and fire crabs, Hagrid was doing something illegal. Also, these were clearly creatures that could hurt someone, and having the students do things, like walk them around on leashes, was irresponsible and risky.
Best: He was extremely excited about his subject
Hagrid had some ways he could have improved as a teacher. For one thing, he could have been a bit more careful and given more through information about things like the history of magical creatures. However, his biggest strength was just how much he loved magical creatures. He might have loved some of the dangerous ones a little too much, but his heart was in the right place.
