Imagine that you’re a Hogwarts student entering the Great Hall for the first time. You gaze in wonder at the four tables that stretch the length of the room, each bedecked in a different color: red, blue, green, and yellow. With mounting excitement, you place the Sorting Hat on your head, eagerly awaiting the answer to the question that will define your next seven years: what Hogwarts House do you belong in?

We posed this question to Baldwin teachers across a range of subjects, and the answers we received showed an intriguing pattern. Of the ten teachers interviewed, six of them listed Ravenclaw as a House they might be sorted into, though a few teachers were torn. 

Dr. Boger, who teaches history, has been sorted into both Slytherin and Ravenclaw. When she first took the Pottermore sorting quiz, she was disappointed to land in Slytherin. She said, “My kids keep trying to persuade me that that doesn’t mean one is evil, but I’m not convinced.” 

She took the quiz again a few years later and she “felt relieved and much more comfortable to land in Ravenclaw.” However, she added, “isn’t defying the Sorting Hat just the type of thing a Slytherin would do…?” 

Dr. Boger also thinks that history gets a raw deal in the Harry Potter world. She said, “Book 6 reveals how critical figuring out wizarding history is to Harry’s life and the wizarding world’s survival.” 

How could the History of Magic class level up? Well, according to Dr. Boger, “The history teacher should use the Pensieve to do a little visiting of the past with the class….Never with time turners, of course. Too dangerous. But select use of the Pensieve raises all kinds of possibilities for projects on memory — the gap between sources and what actually happened. Plus, how could history class be boring with ghosts around to interview for research projects?”

Surprisingly, though, Dr. Boger wouldn’t be a history teacher in the Wizarding World. In her eyes, “Potions seems to me like the most fun to teach.”

Sr. Mathias, who teaches Spanish, took an online quiz to discover which Hogwarts House he belongs in. He found that he is a mix of Houses, predominantly Gryffindor. “In terms of what subject I’d teach, transfiguration sounds awesome,” Sr. Mathias commented, then added: “I could also coach Quidditch.”

Ms. Wilson also broke the Ravenclaw pattern. She told us she has “used the Leaky Cauldron website to figure out that I am a Hufflepuff (like Newt Scamander!) and secondarily a Ravenclaw.” True to her biology teacher roots, she “would love to teach Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology.”

Dr. Goldader sees himself as a Ravenclaw through and through. “I expect I’d be a Ravenclaw; they were the ‘academic’ house, and I have always enjoyed learning,” he said. 

He ruled out each of the other Houses, explaining, “I am generally too cautious to be a Gryffindor; I’ve never been good at plots and plans, so don’t think I’d end up in Slytherin; and I don’t usually have the tenacity of a Hufflepuff.” 

If he were a teacher in the Wizarding World, Dr. Goldader would teach astronomy. He proudly declared, “Professor Sinastra’s got nothing on me!”

Dr. Sullivan was sorted into Ravenclaw, a House she sees as fitting. She told us, “I’m not brave enough for Gryffindor, if I’m being honest!” 

What class would she teach? “I guess Transfiguration, since literature aims to transform how we see the world and ourselves,” she said. “Really, I suppose anything but potions. I will leave that one to Mrs. Davis!”

Dr. Forste-Grupp also fits the pattern. “I have taken numerous Harry Potter sorting hat quizzes and I’m always sorted into Ravenclaw,” she said. 

She also said, “I would advise the competitive club Managing Magical Mysteries,” and would teach a class J.K. Rowling never even mentioned: “Labyrinthine Symbology.” What’s that? Only Dr. Forste-Grupp knows.

Mrs. Kerrie Snead, who recently discussed this same question with her daughter, says that she definitely sees herself as a Hufflepuff. “I’m loyal, fair, and hard working,” she said, “and my profession is helping people.” 

What could be more Hufflepuff than that? She also said, “And of course, I would teach Quidditch!”

When asked about her Hogwarts house, Ms. Greco said, “No need to speculate—I have been sorted multiple times, including via Mugglenet. I am a solid Gryffindor,” referencing a quiz from a popular Harry Potter fansite.

When asked what class she would teach, she said, “I would certainly teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin is my energy.”

As Harry Potter fans, we loved learning what House each teacher would be in and why. We were left with almost as many questions as answers, but one thing is clear: a Harry Potter Movie Marathon is long overdue, and we’ll be spending the rest of autumn listening to the Harry Potter Soundtrack on repeat.