Technology runs rampant in this modern age. Some embrace it, some fear it, but most people accept it as a tool- a means to an end- and a way to make life easier. This tool most notably affects the lives of the youngest generation, since they grew up surrounded by screens. Texting, typing, and searching are all second nature to Generation Z. As "Gen Z" grows, the world grows around it, moving and adapting with an increased reliability on technology. New traditions, inventions, and methods rise to meet a technologically advanced society. In schools, (the territory of Gen Z), there is an influx of 'distance learning,' or online classes. These courses are an amazing benefit to students because they offer a wider variety of subjects, cater to students' ambitions, and allow for students' physical limitations.

Across America, small, understaffed schools struggle to teach their students. While these schools can offer essential classes, such as academic English, history, sciences, and mathematics, some are unable to provide more flavorful classes like creative writing, human geography, or computer science. Some schools even struggle to teach advanced core classes, such as honors, IB, or AP. This is because such specific or advanced classes require qualified and specialized teachers- a resource some areas simply do not have. This restricts these students, since they cannot take classes relating to their personal interests, or classes with college credit. Through distance learning, these students could have the opportunity to take classes their schools don't offer. This benefit isn't restricted to underprivileged areas, however. Specialized teachers (or even professors) provide courses on a wide variety of interesting, challenging subjects that are not found in high schools, or even most colleges. Students can take online courses from influential entities like NASA and Microsoft, and earn college credit at the same time. Distance learning dramatically increases the scope of education and gives students learning opportunities they would not find otherwise.

Some students have bigger goals than their schedules allow. In my sophomore year, I decided that I wanted to take AP Physics in my senior year. This meant that I had to take a physics course in my junior year, but I did not have enough room in my schedule, since I also needed to take economics to graduate, and I wanted to take chemistry. I notified my counselor and decided to take my Economics/Personal Finance class online, and free up an extra slot. In the spring of sophomore year, I was taking eight classes, instead of the standard seven. While this added to my workload, it enabled me to take both physics and chemistry in my junior year, and AP Physics my senior year. With distance learning, I expanded my schedule and took classes that interested me, and not just classes that were required.

Outside of ambitions and location limitations, some students are physically unable to attend classes they enjoy. Life often takes control, and injuries or illnesses stop students from attending school, or taking more rigorous classes. My aunt has a physical illness that makes it very hard for her to attend stimulating events. Things like concerts, birthday parties, and movies all overwhelm her senses and cause tics and seizures. This manifested in her junior year of high school, and she was out of school for all of second semester. This would have severely harmed her chances of getting into college or graduating on time. Fortunately, she was able to get tutors and supplementary courses, so she was able graduate, and even got a large scholarship for her grades. Her last few years of high school were long and difficult because she could only learn when she was feeling well enough to interact with another person. Her illness dictated her schooling by limiting her ability to talk to people and listen to pages turn. Unfortunately, this was before online classes were widespread or accessible. If she had taken online courses, she would have been able to do work and study, even when she was unable to talk to people. Her same situation is reflected across countless lives- students' bodies are unable to handle the school environment, so they struggle to get the same education as their in-school counterparts. Distance learning helps to alleviate this issue by providing a self-paced environment with the same material, testing, and teachers, without the taxing physical environment.

Perhaps the largest issue raised regarding distance learning is time management. Teenagers are notorious for procrastination, which leaves two options- easier courses or millions of disappointed parents. The self-paced nature of online classes provide seemingly endless opportunities to stave off work in favor of video games. However, this is a non issue. Students taking online classes face the same requirements as their in-school classmates, just through a different medium. While it is much easier to avoid work without a teacher present, students' grades will still reflect their effort and performance. Just like in a normal classroom setting, hard work is rewarded, and procrastination results in failure. Students using distance learning will effectively learn time management and responsibility if they want to succeed. If a student is likely to fail in an online class, they are just as likely to fail in a classroom setting. It's all mindset.

Distance learning is on a rise, fueled by a boom in technology. Some schools embrace it, and some reject it. Either way, distance learning is a huge benefit to students. With a longer list of course options, openings for schedule flexibility, and a broader availability to physically restrained students, online courses help students to learn and grow, and pick up good time management skills along the way.