The twenty-first century has been nothing but a blessing for America's school systems, introducing technology that keeps students engaged and excited about learning. Such resources have expedited and enhanced students' education in a way that has never been witnessed before, exemplified by distance learning. Distance learning allows students to "to attend classes from home by way of online or video conferencing," meaning that they no longer have to get on the bus every morning, spend seven in an unfamiliar environment, and then return home to complete their assignments. Students will benefit from distance learning (DL) because it provides them with greater freedom and allows the teacher to give more attention to each individual's progress; since similar systems have already been implemented, attending classes from home is almost guaranteed to be successful.

One of the greatest benefits of DL is the amount of freedom students have in choosing how they want to learn, which environment they desire to work in, and how they want to pace themselves. During their first few years in school, students are often taught the three types of learning: verbal, auditory, and hands-on. With the comfort of one's own home, or other work environment, they have the freedom to choose how they would like to go about learning without disrupting the rest of the class's progress. Not only can they exercise their own way of learning, but they can also select where they would like to work; those who are introverted may not feel comfortable working in a school or public environment, whereas others may feel the most productive when they are surrounded by people, such as at school or the library. Thirdly, since less time is being invested in maintaining the class's order or learning the material as a group, students can utilize this time to either move ahead of the class or spend more time understanding the material. While conferencing may be conducted at specific times, other assignments can be completed at one's own time and ease. One of the best ways to ensure students' productivity is by maintaining their comfort and willingness to work, and providing them with the freedom to learn in different ways, work in different environments, and pace themselves as they please.

Not only does DL allow students to feel more comfortable interacting with the material, but it also provides teachers with a chance to give each individual more attention and organize more assignments or lesson plans to further enhance the learning experience. Teachers will receive more time to monitor students' progress rather than bring order to the class. As a result, teachers can use this additional time to delve deeper into individual students' progress, providing each with digital feedback and one-on-one assistance that may not have been possible in the classroom. Students can directly benefit from this attention in that they could ask the teacher for help, catch up with the curriculum, or seek ways to move past the rest of their peers. While many may argue that, presently, digitized systems have been implemented to watch over students' progress, the truth is that teachers are required to spend time in class as well as their personal time to do this in addition to supervising the class; working outside of school for no extra income could be a disincentive for teachers, resulting in inadequate monitoring. It is crucial for teachers to have the extra time, as a result of introducing DL into school systems, so that they can serve and benefit each student individually and thoroughly rather than superficially.

Logically, it appears that DL will probably be greatly beneficial to its users, but its success is almost guaranteed because it has already been implemented among many school systems and has proven to mesh well with students' learning. Firstly, America's schools have digitized most, if not all, assignments and class material, allowing for easy access anytime and anywhere; this has made working from home significantly easier for students who are sick or who have gone out for vacation. One such example is Google Classroom, a resource that allows teachers to provide their students with direct access to assignments and extra materials whenever and wherever necessary. While convenient, many indicate that DL will negatively impact the interactive learning experience, but what these people fail to realize is that technology is equally, if not more, interactive than the assignments provided in the classroom. Since most of these assignments have already been digitized, the working environment should not be of a concern as long as the assigned tasks have been completed. People have also mentioned their concerns about cheating on tests or assignments due to Internet and phone access at home, but teachers have already begun combatting this issue with newer programs that deny access to any other sites and that monitor the student's activity throughout. The only limitation to DL that may detract from its success is the students' access to electronic devices; while LCPS provides their students with personal devices throughout the school year, other school systems may not have sufficient funding to do the same. In such cases, it may be best to either keep these individuals in school or find an alternative method of giving students access to the curriculum, such as providing textbooks and worksheets rather than video conferencing. However, overall, DL is mostly guaranteed to function successfully, especially in Generic_City, thanks to access to technology and resources.

Distance learning may not be in widespread usage today, but it will prove to be tremendously beneficial for students, in that they will have more freedoms and receive greater attention. The ideas, resources, and research are all present. Now, schools just have to make the switch.