Is Virtual Schooling More Beneficial for Students?

School is much more than a superficial institution that hands students long hours of tedious work and large textbooks. It's a place where people make long lasting friends and find out who they are as a person. It's where they find out what they like, what they don't like, what they're good at, and what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It's where students can find their place in the world. Thus, traditional school is much more beneficial than online school as virtual students miss out on necessary social interaction, hands on learning experiences, and extracurricular activities.

By having a virtual schooling experience, students miss out on essential social exposure and interaction as well as etiquette and communication- all of which are very crucial in the world today. They miss out on their chance to make friends and important relationships that they cannot do from the comfort of their house. I used to think that social skills were unimportant and wouldn't get me anywhere in life until I met one of the teachers in my school. He always emphisized the importance of social skills. He once told us that if there were two people in a room, one brilliant person with revolutionary ideas but no social speaking skills and one average person who's sole talent is talking with others and communicating efficiently, there's no doubt that the second person would go farther in life. Because it wouldn't matter if someone was the smartest person in the world. That person wouldn't go very far if they didn't know how to communicate and exchange their ideas and interact with others. That might be a challenge that a virtual schooling experience can give it's students. When in school, students are forced to interact among themselves, may it be during a group project or a class discussion. Both those activities help them form efficient communication and as well as leadership skills that they can't get anywhere else. Online students miss out on the perspectives of other students as they are isolated from the rest of the class.

There are many types of learners such as auditory, visual, and hands on learners. Because of this, teachers try to incorporate all these types of teaching into their lesson, the most popular type being the hands on/project based learning. If a student takes online classes, they will miss out on crucial lessons like these, especially in STEM based subjects. My favorite part in any science class is the labs. They allow me to practically apply the concepts that we learn in class to real life. I learn so much more from that experience rather than reading off a PowerPoint and taking notes. It allows me to experiment and make mistakes and become more knowledgeable by learning from those mistakes. Online classes, as comfortable as they seem, lack the physical and practical learning aspect that students so direly need. They cannot participate in labs or experiments or even class activities. And they cannot receive one-on-one experiences with a teacher if they are lost in the material or have any doubts.

For many students, the best part of school is all the extracurricular activities and clubs their school has to offer. This includes a broad range of activities from sports to theater and etc. In fact, many colleges look for extracurricular and clubs and service activities rather than strictly academics. They want to see students find their passion and see what they can bring to their schools. And this is where most students shine the brightest. This where an average student can excel on a sports field or the quiet, conservative students can find their niches on stage and sing their hearts out in theater or where anyone can experience national competitions in clubs such as Model UN or Debate. Students have the chance to earn scholarships and other prestigious awards they might not get from just the academic aspect of school. Students who are virtually enrolled won't get these kind of opportunities and have to live vicariously through others who are pursuing their passion. For me, I'm very involved in extracurricular activities such as Model UN, Forensics/Speech and a medical club called HOSA. These are my passions and they help me balance out my academics with something I enjoy doing. I've gotten many awards from these clubs that I could not get in a traditional classroom setting. Online school would eliminate me finding my place in these clubs and the experiences and advantages I've gotten through it.

Many people would consider online schooling as the easier option as they don't have to commute to school everyday and they can learn all the material from the luxury of their own home. And for some students, possibly the ones with disabilities or other challenges, it may be the correct option. What they're failing to realize is that while it may be comfortable and less intimidating, they are losing so much experience and real world lessons and the chance to connect with their peers. School prepares students for the real world both academically, socially, mentally, and physically. There are so many things taught outside the classroom that online school doesn't teach or even recognize, such as leadership and team building skills and etc.

While school seems to be a tedious chore for some students, it prepares them for the brutally challenging real world with unforgettable lessons that online schooling does not include. Students who take up distance learning miss out on so many experiences, friendships, and activities that normal school has. They might not discover what they're passionate in or what they are good in as they're unable to have a chance to experience everything that schools have to offer. Overall, for virtual schooling, the benefits do not outweigh the costs.