Historically, children have only been able to receive an education by traveling to a building known as a school. In this building, there are classrooms, desks, boards, teachers, etc., but most importantly, the outlet to a successful future. Over time, more and more developments have been made in order to improve the quality of the curriculum that students learn in school. With the rise of technology, even the location of schooling has begun to vary with the addition of a unique option: learning from home. Online video conferences and other such facilities allow for students to access the same materials that they would be given at a traditional school. However, as convenient as it seems, students would not benefit from being able to attend classes from home, which is portrayed by the lack of three things that are vital to academic achievement: student discipline, teacher connection, and test regulation.

First and foremost, being able to attend classes from home would result in a lack of student discipline. Learning from home would discourage students from maintaining a strict schedule that would normally be upheld in a school building. For example, Generic_Name, a sixth grader, takes classes from home. The year before, he used to wake up at 6:00 every morning to get ready for school, which started at 8:00. Now, he wakes up around 9:00, because he only has four 90-minute classes to attend via video. While he may be able to get more sleep at night, Generic_Name has not established a routine for his school work, so he wastes hours before and in between classes. This leads to him not having enough time to spend with his loved ones or exercise, all because he has the leisure to slack off during the day. Consequently, there is not only a decrease in efficiency, but also in productivity, which is an outcome of the ability to attend classes from home. These are qualities of discipline, which is an indicator of success in the future.

Secondly, the direct connection to teachers would be lost if students were able to attend classes from home. In other words, students would not be able to ask their teachers any questions they might have in person. Although the video conferencing software might include a messaging system for students to communicate with their teachers, it does not replicate the same level of understanding that a student might gain if they were able to speak directly to their teacher. For instance, students who need clarification of certain material may not receive an adequate explanation online because their teacher's attention may be divided or focused on some other task. Additionally, in person, students would be able to ask follow-up questions and have a thorough discussion with their teacher, whereas a messaging system might not allow for steady communication due to breaks between answers. Therefore, there may be gaps in students' learning, which could contribute to poor performance in their classes.

Last but not least, the regulation of tests is lowered when students have the ability to attend classes from home. When assessing students' learning in a tradtional school, teachers normally provide them with hard copies of multiple-choice or short answer questions that require students to write with a pencil or pen. With advancements in technology, however, tests are increasingly being administered through software to both avoid the wastage of paper and facilitate the process of grading. Learning from home usually requires students to take all of their tests online rather than on paper, which becomes problematic when there is no teacher or reliable adult proctoring the administration. This allows for cheating and other dishonest behaviors to occur, thereby decreasing the credibility of the scores of students taking tests from home. Test regulation is necessary for schools to accurately assess the academic performance of students, so a lack thereof is detrimental to society.

In conclusion, students would not benefit from being able to attend classes from home due to the lack of student discipline, teacher connection, and test regulation. A combination of one or more of these factors can lead to a student not meeting the standards of learning, or even worse, the requirements for graduation from school. At home, students are not monitored regularly as they are at school, which is a breeding ground for incomplete lessons and assignments. Subsequently, grades plummet, and in many cases, so does the motivation to excel. In order for education to fulfill its purpose, students should attend school in a building separate from their home. By doing so, they would be subject to the benefits of character cultivation, as they learn not only the subjects normally taught in a curriculum, but also the value of hard work and its upward path to accomplishment in life.