Schools are befittingly called children's "second home", as they spend a good proportion of their time there once they reach the schooling age. The fact that they are constantly surrounded by
teachers
during
this
period of time has sparked some deliberation upon whether tutors influence a
child
's intellectual and social development more than their
parents
after entering the education system. I disagree with
this
.
While
teachers
play an indispensable role in a
child
's edification,
parents
' guidance is instrumental to their personal growth too.
To begin
with, during school hours, a
child
's progress is a teacher's responsibility.
Teachers
teaching a particular subject often hold more expertise than the
parents
in that area of study and are
thus
able to guide a
child
better in picking up specific complex concepts.
Furthermore
, they may encourage a
child
to participate in academic competitions to boost their intellectual calibre through competitive experiences at school. Educational institutes
also
establish a foundation in the
child
by inculcating good values in them.
For instance
, many schools in Singapore have a "life-skills" class, where students are equipped with important lessons on life skills, etiquette, and good manners. In fact, many students have grown up on the commonly reinforced value " sharing is caring". Altogether, these work on enhancing a
child
's social and intellectual development better than at home sometimes.
However
,
teachers
can't be fully credited for augmenting a youngster's intelligence and disposition because
overall
,
parents
are around their
child
for a longer duration and guide their
child
in a more well-rounded manner.
Firstly
, a
child
may learn good habits in theory from school but mostly picks up its practical usage by observing how their elders display those manners. To cite an example, a
child
may know in theory that a favour is to be returned with a "thank you", but some
parents
would usually prompt their
child
to thank people in other apt situations
such
as after receiving compliments, allowing the
child
to fully understand when to use the phrase.
On the other hand
, smartness doesn't only concern the academic potential of an individual.
Instead
, it comprises both educational excellence and what many call "street-smartness", which is the way one conducts themselves amidst various situations in public.
Parents
are able to guide their children better in
this
regard.
Lastly
, since
parents
know their offspring better, they are able to tailor their mode of teaching to make certain that the
child
is absorbing the learnings well.
In conclusion,
while
teachers
do impact the social and intellectual development of a
child
greatly,
parents
equally play a role in doing so.
Thus
I disagree that they can have a higher influence on a
child
than the
parents
.