One Monday morning, I saw my friend Generic_Name drenched in rain and with a troubled expression on his face. He told me he biked to school everyday and the weather was not kind to him today. I asked why he did not ask his parents for a ride to school, and he responded that both his parents need their cars for work. There was not a program to help him in the school and so he continued to use his bike in rain, snow, or shine. Although some may disagree, distance learning is beneficial to students because it helps students with disabilities and students without means of transportation.

Distance learning helps students that are disabled that cannot go to school because of their disability. For example, my classmate Generic_Name, he cannot walk without assistance from another person. Although he learns and engages in the lesson, he spends a good portion of the day going to the class rather than participating in it. If Generic_Name had a way to receive his education through online or video conferencing he would not have to spend so much time going to class. Another example is my friend Generic_Name, he cannot go to school due to his disability and as a result is home schooled. His education is stunted, however, as his parents do not have the resources that schools do. He cannot garner the experiences of a normal teenager and must take what is given. Had Generic_Name had a form of online learning, he could have discussions with his fellow classmates and learn more than what he being limited to. Through video or online education, a person with disabilities can still be educated.

Distance learning also aids in education as it helps students with transportation issues. For example, my friend Generic_Name has to get up early in the morning to get to school. He has no transport to school because his father only has one car and needs it to get to work. Generic_Name walks to school and sometimes he doesn't make it on time causing him to get tardy. He cannot even participate in extracurricular activities because he has to get home. Had Generic_Name had video conferencing, he would not have to worry about being late to class or about spending the majority of his free time on school. Another example is my friend Generic_Name, his education depends if he has money for the train. The majority of the time he does, however, sometimes he does not and may be late to class by a substantial amount of time. His economic status halts him in achieving his goals of becoming an engineer. If Generic_Name could learn through online or video conferencing, it will allow him to never miss any of his classes and lifts the burden of money on him. Through online education, students can alleviate daily concerns of missing class and can join their classmates in receiving the same experience that they do.

Some may object and say that online or video conferencing corrodes student's social skills. While understandable, that reasoning is flawed due to the fact that students who have these problems choose homeschooling as an alternative. If homeschooling is to be the alternative, students should be allowed to learn with their classmates through conferences so that they can still cultivate social skills. By forbidding these new ways of learning, people that are home schooled have a much harder time adjusting to the world. For instance, my cousin Generic_Name who is very shy around people. She was home schooled until middle school and was having a difficult time adjusting to her new environment. She finally became more confident later in the year as she made new friends.

Had she attended online discussions, she could have become more confident in speaking. Through discussions and conferences at home, students that learn at home can still get a resemblance of a social life at school.

Students that are less fortunate can finally achieve their dreams with these new tools. As the world gets more technical and digital, the institutions we call school must change as well. By accommodating more students, a well educated populace can bloom and become greater members of society. Many people in life do not get the same advantages, but we must take even small amounts of equity.