Better to Learn from Whom?

Topic:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

It is better to learn from co-workers and friends than to learn from teachers and supervisors.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

SAMPLE ESSAY

I know some people heavily rely upon their co-workers and friends when they need to learn something. I think they are misguided. [Thesis statement] It is much more desirable to get one’s knowledge from teachers and supervisors than from friends and co-workers for a couple of reasons.

First, teachers and supervisors have specific knowledge in their fields. Since they are trained experts, they are more likely to know certain facts or how to do something in their field of expertise. Whenever I have a question at school, I always ask the teacher whose subject it is in. For instance, I had a biology question the other day, so I asked my science teacher. She gave me a perfect, easy-to-understand answer. I doubt my friends could have done that. Since teachers and supervisors have this expert knowledge, it would be foolish not to learn from them. After all, they know
what they are talking about.

While I like my friends, I realize I cannot always trust or believe their words. My friends have been wrong too often. For example, my friends and I often do our homework together. On some occasions, I do not understand or know the answer to a question. When I ask one of my friends the answer, he or she often replies by saying, “I’m not sure, but I think…” On other occasions, my friends have even given me the wrong answers. When I wrote these wrong answers on my work, I lost points in the class. While my friends are great to hang out with, I have no desire to learn from them.

Learning from teachers and supervisors is much better than learning from friends and co-workers. Teachers and supervisors are experts in their subjects while friends and co-workers often provide incorrect answers. It just makes sense to put one’s trust in the experts.

(308 Words)