Online learning is a great opportunity for students who are unable to go to school receive education that they need. I personally used online learning this past year to take an extra class so I could fit another elective into my school schedule. But does virtual learning actually benefit the learning and the life of the students? It does not because it hinders students' abilities to a prosperous social life and it also lacks a deep connection between students and educators.

While some may argue that virtual school offers the ability for students to learn from the comfort of their homes, as well as offer opportunities for home-bound students to receive an education, those kids' learning experiences are not as successful as those who attend a physical school. I have a friend who participates in a home-bound education program because she has an immune system problem that caused her to miss a lot of school. And while that seems like a great alternative for her, there are some major flaws. She was never given a science, specifically chemistry, teacher when she transferred into the program. That means she will not receive credit for taking a science class this year, which will just put more work on her later self, who will have to ensure that she can graduate.

Virtual school also inhibits social growth among adolescents because they are not being exposed to their peers every day. Some kids can get by without going to school and still maintain a healthy social life, but other kids just aren't built that way. In fact, I was not built that way for a very long time. As a child, I was extremely introverted. So much so that I could not get myself to make friends unless I was forced to, or if someone befriended me in school. I relied entirely on school to build my social life for me. And while I have grown out of that way of living, many people have not. Those people still struggle to make friends in high school, and still rely on school to provide those opportunities for them, and while those opportunities may not be perfect, they are better than nothing.

Lastly, virtual learning does not offer the same connection between students and teachers that seeing them in-person offers. I have multiple experiences with this particular problem, and both experiences negatively affected my learning. As I mentioned before, I took an online course this past year to fit another elective into my schedule. That class was a joint personal finance and economy course; a course necessary for me to take in order to graduate. And while I was able to get by in the class just fine, not having a teacher in front of me who I could ask questions presented a plethora of problems. Anytime I had a question about certain material, I had to take more time to research it myself. Or if I had a question about an assignment, I had to either email the teacher in charge of the course and wait for a reply, or just read the directions over and over until I could guess what it was that I needed to do. Virtual learning simply does not give the same learning experience that regular school is able to give.

Online school is not beneficial to students because it hinders social growth in adolescents and does not present opportunities to build connections with educators. It also takes away really important benefits for students that rely on school for healthy meals and internet access. Virtual school is a good idea in theory, and may benefit some students in various ways, but as a whole it takes away from the overall learning experience of kids, which sets them back on their tracks towards their goals.