Schools are an essential part of society. The education that schools provide fuel innovations and progress. Traditionally, schools have been brick and mortar buildings, but as the world is becoming more and more digitized, this traditional idea of schooling is becoming less and less relevant. The internet has allowed for students to attend classes online instead of in person. In fact hundreds of Universities across the United States provide degrees and certificates from online classes. Although distance learning can allow students to learn from anywhere in the world, it is overall harmful to the student as they will not be able to comprehend the material as well, nor will be able to access the many great tools that brick and mortar schools have, making distance learning less beneficial.

In order to truly understand why distance learning programs are not beneficial, it is important to look at what they fail to offer. One of the most important roles of a school is to provide and environment for learning. A proper learning environment is more important than the education the school provides, as without a sufficient learning environment, students can not learn. One way schools set up proper learning environment is by providing quiet classrooms and libraries where students can focus on studying and learning. They also provide tutoring for students struggling with certain topics. Schools also provide resources to enhance the learning experience. For examples, schools purchase expensive chemicals and lab equipment so that students can fully understand a certain science principal. A distance learning program fails to set up a proper learning environment. When students learn from home, there might be a lot of background noise that can disturb them. Students will not be able to access or purchase certain tools and recourses either. These factors can hinder the ability of a student to learn.

However, there are many that support distance learning programs, citing that it would allow students to learn from anywhere in the world. While this may seem like a positive at first, learning from anywhere in the world is actually very detrimental. People tend to be more productive when they have a specific place to work (for example, a school) and a specific place to relax and enjoy (for example, a home). This is why people are more productive doing work at a desk as compared to doing work on a bed. Brick and mortar school provide this boundary by being physically separate from the home. When students come to school, they know that they should be in the mindset to learn. However, if one learns from home, they lack the boundary between a place to enjoy and a place to work. Potential consequences for this lack of boundary include constant procrastination and a decrease in productivity.

Schools are also used for much more than just education. Schools are a place where children learn to socialize and build relationship. Children work in groups during class, and they talk to each other during free periods and lunch. Much of this social interaction is taken away when distance learning takes place. It is much harder to build strong, long lasting relationships behind a computer screen. Distance learning programs also fail to offer as much interaction time as in person classes do. When one partakes in a distance learning program, they do not talk with their classmates as much, nor do they have much time to socialize with each other. This is detrimental to development. The lack of exposure to people that comes with a distance learning programs means that the child will most likely not grow up to be very sociable. They will lack key social skills that naturally develop when one attends a physical school. Schools also provide resources outside of education. For example, many school districts provide free or reduced lunches for children who can not afford food. These types of programs are essential for families living with food insecurity, but they will be taken away if one decides to participate in a distance learning program. No longer will they be able to go to a cafeteria which gives them meals of free. Schools also provide counseling services. Students can use these services to deal with problems at home and at school. These types of services will not be as readily available in a distance learning program.

A brick and mortar school provides many essential factors to help enhance the learning experience that are unfortunately not present in distance learning programs. A physical school provides recourses that help students develop a healthy life while distance learning programs fail to do so. However, as technology improves more and more, distance learning programs might be able to fill in these holes and become more and more promising as a new, better method of schooling.