"That's not a benefit, it's called 'good stuff'."
Draco corrected him.
Is there any difference?
"Good things encompass a wider range. You mean chatting? Isn't that just having a good conversation? Doesn't having a good conversation count as a good thing?"
What if they look at each other in silence?
"You're very comfortable with me. Isn't 'comfort' a good thing?" Draco looked at Hermione with a smile.
"Okay, you have a point."
Kraven suddenly remembered the previous topic. "I have another question. How should someone who has gone astray maintain their integrity?"
Draco's expression turned serious as he replied, "After succeeding through unorthodox means, one must be content and not greedy. Like a reservoir—it overflows when full, and may even leak, ultimately leading to a dam failure."
"Secondly, return to the right path—that is, lay down your weapons and ultimately achieve the recognition that you are a kind-hearted person despite your fierce appearance."
"Of course, you can also promote and help those who follow the right path. If you help many people who follow the right path, even if you eventually fall from power, at least they will remember your past relationships and give you a break."
Upon hearing this, Trillian opened her mouth wide and said, "Now I understand. You said before that when there are more people in the world who take the evil path, the forces that walk the righteous path will rise. So there's this layer to it—it's because of the support of unscrupulous people."
Draco nodded. "This is actually a way out given to you by Heaven. When more people take the wrong path, those on the right path will rise up—it's inevitable and only natural. So, even if you don't help, it's unstoppable."
The conversation was pretty much over there, but Hermione still remembered the earlier topic about education and students. "So the problem with students not liking education lies in the education system itself—"
Kraven also wanted to express something. "It's true, with so many subjects, students have to memorize and recite a lot. They're cramming so much into their brains every day; it can really make them stupid. So it's not that students are out of ideas, it's just that they're dabbling in many things but not mastering any. If you let someone only learn one subject they're good at, they'll definitely enjoy school."
"Everyone understands the logic," Draco continued, "Focusing on one's strengths can certainly prevent boredom and lead to success, but abandoning other subjects probably won't work."
"The significance of each subject goes beyond just exams and college admissions; it contains fundamental survival knowledge and logical thinking skills."
Draco recounted to the group:
"Chinese teaches you vocabulary, mathematics teaches you arithmetic, physics teaches you to see through the laws of nature, chemistry lets you understand the essence of matter, and other subjects are the same; they all have their uses."
"No subject is superfluous."
"If it were completely eliminated, a person could indeed specialize in one skill, but in the end, they might become an oddball with only one area of expertise."
"Having a skill but lacking even the most basic common sense, thinking, and cognition doesn't constitute complete learning. Therefore, no subject can be completely abandoned."
Kraven wholeheartedly agreed, "That's absolutely true. Extreme specialization can lead to narrow-mindedness, while a broad range of interests can lead to complexity. Both are indispensable; anything in excess is as bad as too little."
Trilli's eyes suddenly lit up, and a compromise yet bold idea popped into her head. She excitedly said, "How about learning multiple subjects, then focusing on one subject in depth, while attending classes for the remaining subjects as usual, but without taking exams? Would that work?"
After speaking, Trillian nodded silently to herself, looking at the group expectantly. She felt that this method perfectly balanced everyone's concerns, preserving the common sense learning of all subjects to avoid incomplete thinking, without being overwhelmed by the pressure of exams in various subjects, and allowing them to concentrate on honing their strengths in their own subjects—a win-win-win situation.
But Hermione gently shook her head, rejecting the idea.
"It probably won't work."
Hermione pointed out the flaw. "Learning itself relies heavily on self-discipline and initiative. Once it's made clear that a subject won't be tested or counted towards grades, students will see it as a 'useless subject.' Over time, everyone will become someone who doesn't care whether they study or not, and acts as they please."
"Students with poor self-discipline will skip classes, slack off, and do nothing; even more self-disciplined students will relax their standards, causing chaos in classroom discipline, learning pace, and the entire teaching system."
Trillian scratched her head, "That won't work, that's not right... What's the best way to do it?"
Seeing her at a loss, Draco smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, just keep things as they are for now."
"The entire education system we use today is the result of countless predecessors and great minds going through many years, countless trials and errors, and countless iterations, gradually refining and accumulating its essence."
"It may not be perfect, it may tire students, cause some to specialize in certain subjects, and make it seem complicated and boring, but it is definitely the most reasonable and optimal solution for most people at present."
Draco concluded with a self-deprecating remark. "Just because a few of us are sitting at the table chatting casually, and based on a momentary impression or thought, we can overturn educational rules that have been established for thousands of years?"
"If it were that simple, the education system would have been reformed thousands of times over; we wouldn't be here discussing it on paper."
"That seems to make sense." Trillian stopped worrying about it.
"Students can't change anything, so I think a good teacher is very important," Kraven put forward a new perspective.
"Good teachers are indeed very important," Draco said noncommittally, "But most teachers are just doing their jobs, getting paid. Like students, most are just ordinary students. Where do all these geniuses come from? They're all just average people."
"Therefore, we should not deify any profession, nor should we deify any person." That was the meaning Kraven wanted to convey.
Trillian agreed wholeheartedly, "That's right."
"Everyone here is just a normal professor teaching. In the teacher's eyes, you're just one of the most ordinary students from dozens of graduating classes. People's emotions and energy are limited; how can anyone be so selfless as to impart all their knowledge?"
"That's exactly it." Kraven then went on to break down the student-teacher relationship. "Students always want to be close to their teachers, simply hoping that the teacher will take care of them more and think of them first when there are benefits to be had. And the teacher, well, they just hope that this excellent student will continue to excel, so that the higher-ups will see that they have taught such an outstanding student."
Hermione couldn't accept this overly utilitarian view of teacher-student relationships. She retorted, "Not entirely! Those mischievous students might also receive extra attention from teachers..."
"That's just a spice in a teacher's dull life," Kraven said. "Besides, teaching these kinds of students well is also a kind of accomplishment—it feels like Buddha saving a wicked person. If there's no merit involved, would Buddha save you for no reason?"
Trillian sighed, "If that's the case, the most miserable students in school are actually the average students. The top students and the worst students all get extra attention and special treatment from the teachers, but the middle group is just ordinary and ignored."
"That's incorrect; there are actually advantages to being an average student as well."
Draco smiled knowingly.