Parents are the best teachers?

For the mean time since I don't have the luxury of putting up educational blogs, I will post my updates on my preparation for a TOEFL exam this May. I need to let some things out and this is my way of putting off pressures. Lots of luck doing self-review, looking after my child (glad to finally put off my metal ring but is <3) and doing a teaching career. Phew!

My English tutor who is an American woman but resides somewhere in Europe gave a good feedback on this example of a TOEFL question that I got here. English sentence construction is such a difficult task with all the rules to follow.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

There are many ways a kid can obtain a good education. Some parents prefer to educate their kids at home while some prefer to send their kids to school for proper education. Although some people think that parents are the best teachers I have to disagree with them.

When you teach your own kid then there is no problem with proper dress code or uniforms for you can teach with just your pajamas. However, I disagree with the notion that parents are the best teachers for it is not always applicable. At the nursery level, children are consciously or unconsciously taught by their parents. They mimic how their parents speak or act. However, what if a parent does not display proper behavior or has taught the wrong concepts? Then when it is copied by a kid and is not corrected properly then it might only harm others and/or the kid’s reputation. And this reputation due to pranks can be carried to their adult life.

When a student who has copied bad behavior or is taught wrongly (like pronunciation of words or solving math problems) can be corrected by a teacher who has proper training and skills then there is a transformation. Initially, a kid’s life mostly revolves around obtaining proper education until their adulthood and can only achieve this with proper schooling with proper teachers.  I believe that teachers who undergo training will incorporate values and not just knowledge in their every day lessons. In their trainings they undergo field studies, obtain basic courses on how to guide a child, and in-depth studies of their subjects as well. I am a teacher to senior high school students and a mother too, thus it is easier for me to show guidance and to teach my child good deeds but it won’t be the case if I were bad at teaching for I am lacking in knowledge and I am displaying bad behavior.

In conclusion, although teaching your own kids will strengthen the bond between you and your child and the dressing-up is not a problem, I still disagree that parents are the best teachers because not all parents display good behavior and have the skills to teach their kids.