Generic_Name 3/4/2020

Learning From Afar

One of the biggest concerns in education right now is the issue of chronic absences. If a student misses too many classes during the school year, it is known as being chronically absent. This is common throughout all of Virginia, especially in places like Generic_City, which has an absence rate of over 50% for kindergartners, and a rate of around 24% for middle and high schoolers. Allowing students to take classes online will drastically decrease the absence rate by finding a way for students to be educationally present when they physically can't be.

The biggest reasons that children are chronically absent are because of the parent(s). In most cases, the parent either cannot provide transportation for their child to get to school or they cannot provide for the child immediately after school due to their own working hours. If the child's classes are now able to be taken anywhere, the parent no longer has to worry about commuting the child and they may possibly even be allowed to take the child to work with them, depending on the job and whether the employers policies would allow for such a thing. But these digital classes/video conferences would absolutely allow more students to participate in the education system that are currently being marked as absent because of their parent's situation.

Earlier this school year, I partnered with Generic_School and Generic_School and Generic_City to help spread awareness about the high chronic absence rate, specifically in kindergarten and high schools. The reason chronic absences need to be lowered in these two groups immediately , is because of their crucial educational role. Kindergarten is the foundation of learning for not only the rest of their educational journey, but also their lives. If they get a weakened foundation, they will be more likely to fall behind in later education. As for high schoolers, a chronic absence could mean that they don't graduate. Once you realize just how important it is for these students to be in school, the rates of over half of students and around a quarter of students is alarming. But due to those two aforementioned parental reasons, these students are falling no choice but to be falling behind both mentally and socially. If students are able to take classes from home, they can a) learn to communicate with/use technology from a young age, b) learn the educational curriculum without penalty, c) keep their social interactions between their friends intact, and d) continue to develop their brains for the future use of society.

Now, I know that it is unfair to assume that all families have wifi or access to a computer. When my dad was out of work for a few years, we had no internet at all. But Generic_School had just mandated use of Chromebooks, so many times we had to drive to a McDonalds to use their free wifi in order to do our homework. And when our car broke down, I went over to a friends house and we did our homework (on their wifi) together. But that might not be a possibility for some people, and I understand and respect that. However, for the majority of people, who do have access to the internet at their home, it would allow them to stay connected with their schoolwork and their friends.

Education is one of the most important things that an American needs. It will help them to learn all the skills they need to use before they go out into society and try to further themselves to become the best person they can be. But many children are not getting the education that they need because they are not at school. It is my belief that allowing students to take classes from home would not only make children more active and prepared students, but also to allow them to get an education they otherwise might have missed.