Are parents the best teachers ?

Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to have a very good relationship with my parents. They
have supported me, given me necessary criticism, and taught me a great deal about how to live my
life. Parents can be very important teachers in our lives; however, they are not always the best
teachers.
Parents may be too close to their children emotionally. Sometimes they can only see their children
through the eyes of a protector. For example, they may limit a child’s freedom in the name of safety. A
teacher might see a trip to a big city as a valuable new experience. However, it might seem too
dangerous to a parent.
Another problem is that parents may expect their children’s interests to be similar to their own They
can’t seem to separate from their children in their mind. If they love science, they may try to force their
child to love science too. But what if their child’s true love is art, or writing, or car repair?
Parents are usually eager to pass on their values to their children. But should children always believe
what their parents do? Maybe different generations need different ways of thinking. When children are
young, they believe that their parents are always right. But when they get older, they realize there are
other views. Sometimes parents, especially older ones, can’t keep up with rapid social or
technological changes. A student who has friends of all different races and backgrounds at school
may find that his parents have narrower views. A student who loves computers may find that her
parents don’t really understand or value the digital revolution. Sometimes kids have to find their own
ways to what they believe in.
The most important thing to realize is that we all have many teachers in our lives. Our parents teach
us, our teachers teach us, and our peers teach us. Books and newspapers and television also teach
us. All of them are valuable.

Protecting the Environment

Most people are increasingly aware of the need to protect our environment. Despite this, not many of
us are really taking steps to reduce our impact on the planet. In this essay, I will suggest some steps
each of us can take and some ways to motivate others to do the same.

Many environmental problems seem so big that only governments, local authorities or big companies
can deal with them. One example is global warming. We need government action to reduce emissions
from coal and oil burning power stations and to develop safer sources of power. These require tough
regulations and huge investment. The loss of forests and other habitat is another problem. How can
we as individuals stop the destruction of the Amazon or Indonesian rainforests ? Yet another example
is waste. When people live in cities, they may not be able store or recycle waste, so huge landfills or
incinerators are needed.

However, as consumers, we are the ones responsible for all these problems. First of all, we all need
to consume less power. We need to turn off lights, replace inefficient bulbs with low-power ones, and
not leave equipment on standby. Secondly, we need to control our surging populations. Each of us
can make a decision regarding family size. This has a huge impact on the size of our cities and the
need for food and more agricultural land. In addition, we need to consider eating less meat and more
vegetables and fruit, in order to reduce the amount of land needed for meat. Generally, the main step
we need to take is to live more simply. We need to reduce our consumption, recycle, and reuse.
In conclusion, our choices, however small, do have a real impact. If each of us made took two or three
simple steps to live more simply, imagine the positive effect on the planet!