Op/Ed

Online School Not As Bad As Anticipated

As students rocketed towards the new school year, the dreaded online school didn’t hit quite as hard as everyone thought it would.

Editor Kendall Billings

9/15/2020

When the school year started, I know I personally was dreading doing online school. It is something so different than what we’ve been doing, and change is a big thing. However, there are so many benefits to online school. One of these benefits is being able to learn at your own pace. According to North Eastern University’s article called “The Benefits of Online Learning,” “students don’t always feel comfortable asking professors to repeat a point they made in their last lecture or dive into deeper detail on a specific topic. When learning online, you can revisit past material or stop the lecture to perform additional research or organize your notes. You can work through the lesson plan at your own pace to ensure you’re really mastering the material before moving on to the next section.” This is a big thing for introverted students, and you don’t have to feel nervous about asking the wrong question, inconveniencing your teacher, slowing down the class, or seeming like you’re not smart. Another benefit from the same study is that students can learn to collaborate online in a way to prepare in real life. Technology is always changing, and we as humans must change and adapt with it. You learn how to adapt, by using and learning how to use different learning platforms and websites, and you learn how to communicate with others online, such as emailing, which is beneficial for real life jobs.

Another handy feature, according to the Community College of Aurora, is the documentation. They had this to say: “All the information that you will need will be safely stored in an online database. This includes things like live discussion documents, training materials and emails.” This means that students have access to documents quickly, and it saves them time where you could be working. You also don’t need to wait an entire day to talk to your teacher again, as you could just email them and get a quick response. Illinois Online published an article called “5 Benefits of Studying Online,” where they talked about the self-discipline and responsibility of online school. Some students may struggle with time management, but as they learn to overcome productivity issues, it will be a valuable life skill in the future.

Another benefit of online school? You don’t get COVID-19! According to a parenting website called Fathery, forty schools that ended up reopening had outbreaks, and U.S news reported that 97,000 kids were infected in late July. Plus, 40% of kids are asymptomatic, and scientists predict that by December, 300,000 people could die of COVID-19 if people don’t start wearing masks and social distance. Pair that with students not wearing their masks, horsing around with friends, and making out in the hallways, and you have a recipe for disaster!