On March 13, 2020, almost every school in the United States turned to distance learning. A new concept for most schools, many school districts in my area took time to devise a plan in order to continue the learning process for its students. Education has always, and will always, be important in everyone’s lives, and a pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. But as distance learning progresses, has it been beneficial to our students and has it been working?

My school was fortunate enough to provide its students with access to technology by giving us all chromebooks at the beginning of the year. Since then, it’s given many students who did not have the resources to obtain a high-quality education like the rest of us do. Due to the pandemic and the incorporation of online learning, this wouldn’t have seemed like a problem. Why wouldn’t online schooling work if all our students have the provided resources? The answer to that is environment and the mental state of our students. Although online learning was a great way to continue our education despite the restrictions, it’s been quite rocky. Many students are not fortunate enough to live an environment where it’s quiet and peaceful enough to sit in one place and work on school. Many used school as an escape from their home life, where they can learn and take a break from the stress that comes from their household. Distance learning has only put more pressure and stress on them to balance out their home life from their school life. Another factor would be mental health. Sometimes home life can be mentally draining with the pressure of parents and the lack of social interactions. Being able to go to school to be with their friends and to take a breather was the best part of some students’ days. The option to also interact with their teachers was a blessing in disguise. Having the chance to talk to a teacher one-on-one has been very beneficial for many other students, and for me. That option has helped me become a better learner, and emails aren’t always the right way to go. Teachers at my school sometimes have hundreds of students and can’t respond to every single one they receive. With that, how are we students supposed to obtain the high-quality education we were promised? Sometimes it is best to admit technology isn’t always the answer, even when living in the Information Age. Why continue this pattern of online schooling?

Although distance learning was incorporated as a safety precaution due to COVID-19, it should not become a permanent thing. Online schooling has limited the education of so many students and decreased the value of our education. If possible, hybrid classes would even be better than the option of not going to school at all. Learning to balance school and life is difficult, and is a skill that needs to be learned eventually, but now is not the right time for some people. Students have to be able to get back on track with a schedule they have always known, order to be prepared for the future. In my understanding, a lot of students have stopped doing their school work due to lack of motivation, me being one. Despite how much I care about school and how much my grades mean to me, the motivation to continue with my online assignments is not there anymore. If I feel this way, many other students probably feel the same as well. To continue with complete online school next year would be a mistake. Why risk losing quality education when you are given the opportunity not to?