2002 Question 2

How often do you surf the Internet? In this new era, a great variety of information can be searched via the Internet. We only need to key in a few words in the search engine, and can directly find the required topics within one or two seconds. Thus, some people may think that traditional secondary schools and teachers are redundant. Using  the Internet is already a very good means for students to explore the world. However, is it definitely true? In this essay, I am going to argue that schools and teachers cannot  be replaced.

The information in the Internet may even misled the immature ones to go astray. How can you make sure what you have found is absolutely right? It is not strange to hear that even the webmasters do not know what they have uploaded is wrong. Take the cure for a disease as an example. Some web sites claims that drinking hydrogen peroxide or taking in other kinds of ‘newly-invented’ medicine or pills can make us healthy and can immune to AIDS or cancers. Indeed, those ‘medicines’ are harmful to our health and may even poison us. These will surly misled the youngsters to receive wrong concepts, since some of them are still not mature enough to distinguish between black and white. They may easily fall into the traps in the Internet and will absolutely feel regretted in the future.

Apart from the potential dangers in using the Internet, students will waste all their time, if they are not forced to go to school. In the economic depression, both parents in a family go to work, so as to earn a living. They will have no time to supervise their children to use computers for learning, instead of entertaining themselves. Therefore, most youngsters may not have self-discipline to work hard, even if a large pool of correct information is provided in the Internet. As a result, they can still learn nothing and time has already slipped through their fingers! What will their future become?

Actually, the traditional schools are absolutely ideal places for students to grow well mentally and physically. Teachers are facilitators who help us to learn. . Not only do schools provide  a place for us to learn different knowledge, but also it adds colors to our lives. Take extra-curricular activities as an example. We can join different clubs and take part in many competitions. Through those activities, we gain much personal experience and knowledge that are not only confined in textbooks or the Internet, such as the ways to build up the team spirits. Moreover, these can alleviate the high  pressure we shoulder in facing tonnes of homework, tests and examinations. They are surly wholesome to our mental health. How can you still maintain good health, if you just sit before the computers round the clock?

On top of the extra-curricular activities in schools, teachers and friends also play an important role in our growth. Teachers are lighthouses in the sea. They give us light and guide us to the right road to success. Sometimes, they may even point out our faults and suggest ways to correct them. More importantly, they will instill the moral precept  and the right ways to express our own feelings. When we are caught in a dilemma, we may consult them as they have much more experience than us. Thus, we will not be too impetuous to make a  decision. Besides, in the school, we can also make a lot of friends. Although friends are not as indispensable as the air we breathe in, we cannot neglect the importance of them. When we are caged in desperation, they can be our good listeners and let us air our plight to them. They can also help us to analyze the problems and even figure out the possible solution. Thereby, we will feel more comfortable, since we found some persons who are really caring for us.

All in all, schools and teachers should not be replaced, since they can help to sweep away all our doom and gloom. Otherwise, all the youngsters, our hopes of future, will only know facing to the ‘cold’ computer and immerse into the virtual world all the days. How cool our world will become!