Some people think that parents should teach their children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the best place to learn this. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

It is thought by some that it is the responsibility of parents to show their offspring how an honest member of society is to behave, while others feel that

this

should happen at

school

.

This

essay

believes that

although

parents can encourage

this

type of behaviour from an early age, a

school

is better because it can reach every child. Parents have access to their children from birth and in these formative years the children can easily be taught to understand the need to obey rules and respect others. Young children assimilate concepts easily;

therefore

the onus should be on parents to make sure that

this

happens.

For example

, a case study in the UK showed that 90% of children who were well-behaved when starting

school

were still well-behaved at 18.

This

essay

,

however

, believes that

this

will only affect the children whose parents have high moral standards. Schools,

on the other hand

, can implement an ethics syllabus which is studied by every child. Regardless of a student’s background, each one of them must attend the same lessons, meaning they will all see how they are expected to behave and what role themselves Will play in their world.

For instance

, Ireland has seen a downward trend in the number of young offenders since introducing ethics classes 16 years ago.

This

essay

,

therefore

argues that, because of the consistency found in education,

school

is the best place for learning social values. In conclusion, for children to become upstanding members of society,

although

they can benefit from the early exposure of parental guidance,

this

essay

believes that the objective teachings in

school

are more valuable and so should be favoured.