GRE Issue Topic 50

Sample 1:

Every child’s first school is his home, and his parents are his first teachers. Whether a child is raised by one or both parents, step parents, grandparents, or foster parents, the child observes and, in most cases, imitates the behaviors of those adults. This imitation is so important that parents often say to their children, “Do as I say, not what I do" when they fear that they may be setting a bad example. A young child's undeveloped brain cannot rely on observation alone to understand how to behave; he or she will make mistakes and act inappropriately from time to time. Occasionally, children need to be corrected.

Children will move on to more formal education around the age of five. Teachers will act in loco parentis, in the place of their parents. Some children enter school with an innate understanding of how to act in this new environment; others will struggle. Teachers have the best interests of their young charges in mind at all times but understand that some children need more direction than others. Ignoring negative actions can actually be dangerous. Running around a classroom, a child can trip and fall or run into a desk, a chair, or another student. Should the teacher be expected to wait until the child tires of running and praise him or her for stopping?

These children will eventually enter the halls of high school where the potential for danger increases tremendously. Chemistry class, alone, has equipment and materials that have the potential to seriously injure those who handle them incorrectly. The teacher who ignores dangerous actions performed by students in this situation should probably be fired. Additionally, there are classes where children may use stoves, irons, pneumatic wrenches, or table saws. For their safety, students must be told when they are using those tools improperly.

Even in classes that are seemingly danger free, accidents can happen. In an otherwise tame English class, students throw pens across the room. These projectiles can end up in another student's eye. Let's not overlook the compasses that students use in math class. Any number of injuries can result from the sharp tip on that instrument.

Teaching continues after children have finished their educations. Employers are not likely to overlook negative actions in the workplace. The bottom line depends on everyone performing his or her job correctly. Children whose negative actions have been ignored throughout their lives will be in for a rude awakening after they leave the safe haven of home and school. Ignoring negative actions may, in the end, be setting children up for future failure.

Sample 2:

Encouragement helps a great deal in bringing up any quality. A positive feedback can boost the morale to a great extent. Such learning, that is backed with positive feedback and encouragement, is effective and faster. However, I disagree that negative actions should be ignored. Along with praising positive actions, it is very important to point out the negative ones so that they are not repeated.

Teaching involves inculcating good habits and eliminating bad ones. It is a process of refining the personality and imparting correct knowledge. If it does not fulfill any one of the two things, it is incomplete and ineffective. Education can be imparted in many ways. However, the point is not just to make the students learn theie lessons anyhow but to make them incorporate what they learn in their lives. Moreover, education also involves teaching those things that the child is not able to pick up on his own. This can be done only if they are taught in a proper way. Children in school are in their growing age. What they are taught in school goes on for all their lives.

Therefore, it is important that along with appreciating their good actions they are told about the places where they are wrong. For example, a child may be brilliant in studies and may score well in all subjects. However, he may not be friendly and polite with other students. He could be a bully or rude to others. Here it is not only important to encourage the child to do well academically but it is very important to teach him how to behave. If this is not done, he will grow up to be an unfriendly person who is not accepted in the society. This will eventually make him a loner since no one will want to interact with him.

Similarly, parents have a very important role in bringing up their children. Home is the first school of a child. A child has no knowledge of what is right or wrong. He picks up whatever he sees around him. This may be good or bad. It is the duty of parents to check where their child is going wrong. They should teach him values and morals. While students are under the observation of educators for fixed hours, a child is under constant observation of his parents. Therefore, there is increased responsibility of a parent to observe the actions that are not accepted and correct them. I would like to add here that correcting such an action does not mean that the child is scolded, rebuked or beaten to put him on the right tract. In fact, such behaviour can make the child more stubborn and difficult to handle. Negative criticism need not be done in a harsh manner. It can be done by making the child understand why a certain action is wrong.

The habits as well as knowledge a child picks up in his growing years go a long way. It goes to his benefit if he inculcates good habits and correct education. However, this does not mean that he can never go wrong. For example, for an employer it is very important to check the performance of his employees. The employees should be appreciated and encouraged to keep up the good work. On the other hand, it is possible that they make wrong decisions at some point of time. Instead of ignoring these mistakes, an employer must help them to come to the right decision. This will help in the professional success of the individual as well as of the employer he is working for.

In the end, I would like to maintain that correct and the best teaching is where a child is given the knowledge of right and wrong. He should not only be appreciated for the right behaviour but also be told about the places where he goes wrong. This is the essence of teaching.