Some People Think That Parents Should Teach Children How To Be Good Members Of Society | Band 7.5 IELTS Essay Sample
Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Here is a band 7.5 IELTS essay on this topic written by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.
Band 7.5 IELTS essay sample
One school of thought opines that parents should encourage children to become good members of society. Whereas, other schools of thought believe that school is a better place to imbibe social skills and manners. Both views are valid, and in this essay, I will discuss both sides of the argument and give my opinion on this matter.
Parents have been with their children right since the day they were born and consequently they know their children better than anybody else. This makes them the right people to inculcate values in their children and teach them what is right and wrong. For example, if a child is unkind to another person, or if they watch a news story about a politician lying on television, parents can explain to them that this is unacceptable behavior. By doing so children will understand the difference between right and wrong and hence they are less likely to repeat the same thing themselves. Furthermore, parents can lead by example, showing their children how to be a good citizen through their actions. They could, for instance, get involved in voluntary work at a local food bank, and teach / show their children why it is important to give back to their community.
However, an alternative view is that schools should take the responsibility for this crucial part of child’s education. Teachers, unlike parents, are well trained to deliver important life lessons and equipped with good resources, they can quickly and effectively ensure that children learn what it requires to be a good citizen. Indeed, many schools already do this; in the United Kingdom, for example, many schools now teach personal and social education as part of the school curriculum. Additionally, subjects in high schools include the obligations of citizenship, and the importance of contributing towards one’s community through voluntary work.
Personally, I feel that schools and parents should be jointly responsible for teaching children how to become good citizens. Parents are well-placed to lead by example and through discussion, while teachers are able to do the same thing in a more explicit way as part of the school curriculum. In other words, it should be a team effort.
