Argumentative Essay: Classmate vs Parents

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Classmates have more influence on a child’s success in school than parents do”. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Excellent academic performance is the dream of almost every kid. There are many factors affecting children’s success in school, two of which are classmates and parents. The question that who has played more important role seems to be a controversial issue. Personally I think parents somehow contribute more due to the following reasons.

Firstly it is often said that parents are who understand kids the most. Not only do they have a thorough picture of the children’s interest, but they are also able to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Thanks to the affluent experience they have got, parents are supposed to be the perfect kid’s consultants in school life, giving them good advice under any circumstances. Although dad and mom may not help with the academic knowledge, they can still share the working skills, for example time management, or assist effectively in case of affection trouble, like a puppy love.

If it hadn’t been for parental orientation, there must be many of us who could not be that successful in school. Moreover, it will be very hard for any kids to conquer the study peak if there is no parental support in term of time and money. There are many obvious examples here in Vietnam showing the incredible efforts of rural parents who determine to sell everything in the house in order that their kids can take the university entrance examination.

I myself still remember the time of primary school when my father had to travel approximately 20 kilometers every morning to take me to class; how much I owe him! Unconditional love is the only reason for these endless sacrifices. Opponents who think that classmates may have greater influence on study success have their point in arguing that same-aged friends can are better at helping each other in school subjects; and excellent peers can have a very good impact on kids. It is undeniable that classmates also play an important role in children’s academic performance as well as school relationships.

However, the question is, how many of a kid’s peers can stand by his side through hard time in such a long study life? Classmates are not as experienced as parents to help kids make up their minds in crucial study decision as well. While school fellows are kids’ partners, parents are their life-time companions. To sum up, I want to emphasize that both classmates and parents do influence over a child’s academic performance, but the latters have a bigger saying. And kids need many other factors to be successful, not only in school, but in their future life.