TOEFL essay

Independent People are always learning new things everyday throughout their lives. They may be learning things from those at their own level or from those at a higher level. However, I believe that people learn things better from those at a higher level based on their different types of experience. First, those at a higher level have more educational experience. People who are at a higher level have completed their educational curriculum; they have more educational knowledge. For example, a calculus teacher has to be not only good at math but also complete the requirements, including all the math materials and how to teach, to become a calculus teacher. A person at the same level may be good at math and understands the material; however, he may be bad at teaching. Not being able to teach well makes the one who learns hard to understand.

Second, those at a higher level have more social experience. People who are at a higher level have come over many hardships and have experienced many kinds of affair. For example, my history teacher failed classes in college, married a woman, and spent few years in different countries. People who are at a higher level mostly are older and have experienced the affairs which one would face in the future already. People at a higher level can thus talk and teach us their stories; we can learn from them through their success stories and failure stories. People at the same level may be experiencing different affairs than one has; however, their stories may sound mature since they have only lived about the same time one has and have not faced with the real hardships. Last, those at a higher level have more professional experience and have more convincing suggestions. For example, my counselor has attended the same high school I currently attend and now works as a counselor there. Having the same type of background and could compare the situations of the past and now, those at a higher level are more reliable. Even if a person at the same level suggests and teaches me about new things, it makes me wonder why I have to listen to them and trust them. However, those at a higher level are more proficient at things and are more trustworthy, naturally making us to listen and follow them. Their suggestions have more dignity. In these ways, I believe that people learn better form those at a higher level than from those at the same level. However, people still learn new things from friends and co-workers such as how to communicate and how to make friends. People at a higher level, however, teach us life lessons and gives us suggestions based on their social, professional, and educational experience. Hence, people learn better from those at a higher level.