▶ Your Answer : Undoubtedly, influence by others plays a significant role in people`s daily lives in many of the places where they work or play. Some people think that peers had an more effect on students than teachers, while others do not. Both sides may have their own reasons to support their views. If I were asked to choose one, I would say that teachers have more impact on students than student`s peers. There are several reasons as follows. To begin with, peers makes students to learn how to mingle well with other people from different backgrounds. It exposures them to be different life styles, customs, and cultures. Such exposure is likely to help them to acknowledge that different values exist, to understand this diversity, and to ultimately be comfortable with it. For example, when I was eight years old, I saw one of my classmates from Ethiopia eating his meal with bare hands. I felt very uncomfortable by his behavior because it was my first time seeing someone like that. However, after spending time with African students for a long time, I got used to this cultural difference. I realized that we just had different eating styles. In fact, we had a lot in common in a way that we all cared about our family and friends, were committed to relationships, and got easily hurt by what others say. I no longer feel awkward and can make friends with them. In addition, peers can contribute to an increase in students` overall happiness. Peers give them a chance to experience something different from what they would do in their usual routine. A new experience tends to prevent them from feeling bored in life. For instance, when my sister was in high school, she often felt depressed thinking that her life became an exhausting routine. To survive in a competitive world, she spent the whole day studying all academic subjects, hoping that she could outdo others. Fortunately, she was able to deal with such pressure and stress in a safe way by joining a study group with her friends. In her study group, they studied together and even spent their spare time by watching movies and eating delicious food. By doing this, she was able to let off some steam. If she had not had her friends, she would not have been able to escape her boring life. All things considered, I strongly believe that peers have more influence on students than teachers for reasons I have mentioned above. All in all, the importance of peers cannot be overestimated in students` lives.
|