Is Online School Better?

Last year, schools all around the U.S. closed down due to Covid-19, and because of this we had to continue school online. So, I asked a couple of students from different ages and grade levels their thoughts and experiences with the online and in-person school. My question to them was, “Do you prefer online school or in-person school and why”?

Salvador was the first student I talked to. He is a junior in Eisenhower high school, and he said that he prefers in-person school because he gets to connect to people more than he would have online and that it's just an overall better learning experience. 

The second student I talked to was an 8th grader that goes to Washington middle school named Angela. Angela said that she preferred in-person school because it was easier to get up, ask her teachers for help, and explain what she was struggling with. She noted that it was embarrassing to speak up during a google meet because she's a shy person, and she just couldn't go up to the teacher and say what she wanted to say because if she had a question she would have to ask in front of the whole class. 

I then talked to a 5th grader that goes to Barge Lincoln, and her name is Fatima, and she said that she liked in-person school better because it was easier to do her work since she doesn't have to go on the computer and figure out how to turn her assignments in. Fatima said that a lot of the time, she would just give up and not turn them in at all because she couldn't figure out how to work the computer. 

I asked a couple more students, and they all said similar things like in-person school is better because they get actually to talk to their teachers and other students, they learn better, or even just because they don't get to be stuck at home all day. Online School has its pros, and some students might enjoy it better, but there are also significant cons that affect a student's learning. For example, a lack of engagement is a massive problem that many of these students have had. They said that because online it's hard to form teacher and student or student and student bonds, they start to get disinterested in the class and decide just not to go or not do the work for the class anymore. 

Another fundamental problem that students could have is that they don’t have Wi-Fi or any way to attend school online. Although there can be solutions to that, most students decide to just give up on school altogether. In addition, some students are going through personal issues like their parents are going through a divorce, they are in an abusive household, they have to work, and even sometimes it can be that they just had a baby. All these situations make it hard for a student to stay engaged and motivated. The only way they can actually focus and just get away from or even forget about their problems for a short period is to be in school.