Sitting in bed at 11 am working on math homework would be a lot better than sitting in an uncomfortable chair trying to understand at a pace that the teacher likes. Many argue that online school is better than going to class, but is online schooling the best way to learn?

Online classes are based on the student’s time schedule. For teenagers today it is proven that students learn better later in the day because of the serotonin levels in the brain. Being able to start school later will result in them being more alert and focused. The most beneficial perk of online school is the student being able to go their own speed while learning. Everyone learns differently and are more gifted in different areas. So the opportunity to take classes at different speeds can be very beneficial to fully understand the material. At a school, it is common for the teacher to move on regardless of whether everyone understands it. Online is not focused as much on grades, but if the student is dedicated enough they can ensure they understand it.

A study by U.S. News says, “Between 2012 and 2016, the total number of students studying strictly on a physical campus dropped by more than 1 million, or 6.4 percent.” Nowadays there are more and more students taking college classes online. Online school is helpful for those who do not have the time to attend a college full time.

While the benefits of online school are great, there are also setbacks. An online school providing a flexible pace is very beneficial when people are dedicated, but when they aren’t dedicated, an online school would become completely pointless. The reason for going to school does help is because you have teachers, students, and grades to push you to do your work. There are more consequences for missing a day or slacking off than an online school would have. The school has a more structure to their classes and a consistent schedule to keep students on task. School gives the opportunity to be more hands-on with what is being taught. There are more ways to help students remember things because the teacher can play a video clip, or give out a worksheet, or even a group activity. School is focused a lot more on the students than the individual material making it more aimed toward the bettering of the student as a whole and not just them receiving their diploma. Rachel Rothrock, a senior at Westminster explains that with regular school, “You have the chance to interact with all the groups of people who you would never talk to unless you went to school or had classes with them.” This helps to expand students horizons while always improving their social skills.

During teenage years it is common for students to be more tired than the typical adult because teenagers need more sleep. If a student was doing online school and their eyes started to shut they would just fall asleep and quite possibly never get back to working on what they should be working on. At school, there are teachers there to make sure you stay engaged. There are plenty of benefits to why online school is beneficial compared to regular school, but as humans and as teenagers we are wired for human interaction and physically being in an environment and learning new things. This is why the online school will never offer every opportunity regular school does. Achieve