IELTS Band 7 essay sample: Should schools teach young students to be a good parent?

Essay prompt

Some people think it would be a good idea for schools to teach every young person how to be a good parent. Do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Describe the skills a person needs to be a good parent.

Student’s response

Every new generation is the building block of its future society; therefore, responsible parenting is an undisputed desirable behaviour. Being a good parent is predicated by building on ones personal experiences. Hence, despite the notion that parenting practices need to be included to schools syllabus, I conjecture that it would be more effective to deliver such education at a later stage of life: just before marriage.

Good parenting practices require adeptness that is acquired through experience. At the early stages of education, at school, teenagers need to obtain basic survival competencies. For example, they need to learn communication abilities, which will allow them to build successful careers. Similarly, every stage of life entails different skills. As young adults reach a point in their lives, where they decide to get married, teaching them parenting skills becomes a priority. For example, in Singapore parenting is taught right before actual marriage.

Successful parenting requires allowing discretion and teaching basic values. I believe that for a person to realise his potential, he need to be given the freedom to make major decisions in his life. Strident parents opinions debilitates the creativity of their children. However, it is obviously crucial for parents to preach universal human values, such as truthfulness, integrity and the like. Therefore, parent’s role is to assist and not to control the younger generation.

In short, parenting skills are germane to individuals who have made the choice of starting a family; those are the people who, evidently, need to understand the effective parenting practices: teaching basic values and allowing for the freedom of decision.