13845 Discipline
IELTS Writing Task 2
Essay Question: Children's Discipline
Example Answer by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
IELTS Essay Topic:
>Many people use punishment to teach the difference between right and wrong to children. They think that punishment is necessary to help children learn the distinction between right and wrong. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience to support your opinion.
(Similar Writing Topic>Firm discipline is a necessary part of teaching children to tell right from wrong.)
Sample Essay (Jeenn Lee Hsieh):
Nowadays, punishment is missing as an important part of teaching children to learn right from wrong. This can be seen in the way parents obey their children, or simply leave them free to learn lessons of lives on their own. It would be so much better if the traditional carrot-rod approach would be applied: rewarding or punishing when necessary.
Punishment always works. The old cliche "spare the rod and spoil the child" makes modern sense because strict discipline is actually a symbol of caring for a child. Indeed, there is no such thing as being too tough with a child, considering that giving advice and putting a child on the right path may need the traditional method of "punishment and reward". The logic is clear enough. For a good behavior, a child receives a reward or praise; while, on the contrary, for a bad or unwanted behavior, the child receives a punishment or scolding instead. Paradoxically, kissing or scolding, it is love just the same.
Who should be more to blame (parents or teachers) when children behave badly? Some fathers and mothers have become convinced somewhat by mistake that educators alone at schools must know what is best for their children. Here, parents forget that they themselves can be experts if they are aware that they have decisive influence on their children's behaviors by showing good examples. All kids follow examples--right ones and wrong ones. They see and hear and imitate their parents, doing right or doing wrong. In other words, good parenting can breed well-behaved children who are able to learn distinguishing right from wrong.
On the whole, the responsibility of teaching children to learn right from wrong is more linked to parents than to teachers, on the assumption that only fathers and mothers have the authority to govern children's behaviors at home. Unfortunately, as it is, parents are no longer the absolute commanders-in-chief but children are. Of course, it does't have to be that way; rather, a child must be made to feel that the natural order of things is to be in obedience. (Essay created by Jeenn Lee Hsieh)
