Many people influence the younger generation. Peers affect one another, media figures influence children, and almost anyone a kid meets in public will shape their view on the world. In other worlds, the educators of the younger generation are manifold. However, among the collection of voices and images, parents are the best teachers. This claim is supported by the history of education, the proximity of the parent, and the nature of the education.
Teaching reaches back to the earliest civilizations. In the “wisdom literature” of the ancient Near East, scribes recorded their method of teaching. They favored not peer-related or society-influenced education, but a parent to child relationship. The Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible places education in the family context: “Listen my son to your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching” (1:10). Furthermore, other traditions promoted a similar environment for learning as the ideal place to teach and learn (Crenshaw, 2010).
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"Are Parents the Best Teachers?".
History not only attests to parents as teachers but the proximity of the parent forwards them as the best instructor. Children spend a lot of time with their parents, even in the age of technology and school programs. The father and mother continue to occupy the home with the children present (Bloomberg Businessweek 2005). Thus, the parent lives in closer quarters physically and socially with the children, a position that increases their educational power.
Finally, what is the nature of the education between parent and child? Paul Tough (2012) argues that the elements most important to education are those of character. Who a child overshadows what a child does or knows. Thus virtues of morality, decision-making, and relationships claim more significance than those of technological skill, test-taking ability, and money-making. Who shapes these attributes most? Tough argues that the parent in the context of the home has most influence over the most important aspects of education. Thus, the parent is the best teacher.
- Crenshaw, J. (2010). Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Westminster John Knox Press.
- Estes, D. (2010). Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Tough, P. How Children Succeed. New York: Mariner. - “Working Moms Tear Down Office Walls.” (2005). Bloomberg Businessweek.
- “Work at Home 2Summary Report.” (2013). Burea of Labor Statistics.
- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2008). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
