Online learning has gotten in the way of many peoples’ education and in-person learning should be the primary option. 

As a current senior in high school, I have gotten the opportunity to experience both in-person and online learning due to the unfortunate effects of the covid 19 pandemic. After I was able to experience both situations, it is very clear to me that in-person learning is more beneficial. 

In today’s day and age, schools generally offer both online and in-person classes for students to take. Many students in our school now take at least one online class during a semester if not more. These types of classes became more popular and well-known after the covid 19 pandemic when students were unable to come into the schools and take classes. They were required to stay at home and do them over Zoom or Google Meet. The real question is whether or not students believe that in-person classes are better than online. 

Senior Alyssa Duchene said, “I believe that in-person learning is more beneficial because it allows for group discussion, and it provides students with opportunities to build social skills among their peers. It also teaches students how to manage their time efficiently because deadlines are enforced by real teachers, not just the time listed on Google Classroom.”

Compared to online school which is a self-paced class that has little to no communication and interaction with peers and teachers, in-person school allows students to have face-to-face interactions and a concrete curriculum that has set in-stone deadlines for students to follow. In-person also helps students develop their communication skills with others while with online learning students generally cannot talk to their peers and make new friends and connections. 

According to Unity Environmental University, there are many different benefits of doing in-person schooling., “The benefits of in-person learning range from creating a sense of structure to hands-on learning to more interactions with peers and professors.” Not only do students have the opportunity to have an online learning experience but they also can have a set schedule with structured learning, “Some people prefer in-person classes because they follow a set routine each week which creates structure in one’s life. If you are a full-time student, in-person classes give you a reason to get dressed in the morning. You may also be more motivated to focus on school work away from the distractions of your home.”

The more that we look into the future, the more online classes are becoming increasingly popular. Some reasons why online classes are increasing in popularity are due to the flexible schedule, convenience, and self-paced learning. But that still does not explain why so many students are inclined to take online classes even starting their freshman year of high school. 

According to The Journalist’s Resource graduation rates have decreased for students who have taken all online classes which is something that many students look forward to doing, graduating. “Half — 50.1% — of high school students attending online schools graduated within four years, according to data collected in 2016-2017. The graduation rate was 48.5% at virtual schools managed by for-profit companies. Both fell below the national average of 84%.” 

Despite many of these advantages of doing in-person education, many students at WHS strictly believe that online education is better.

Kayden Samwell said, “I’ve gone to an online school before, specifically HVAM (Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan), and I think that online learning is more beneficial because you can learn at your own pace, you can watch recordings of the class if you were absent, easier to make friends, You don’t have to worry about having to catch the bus or being late, You’ll be more connected to teachers and counselors, the assignments are always there so you don’t have to wait for the next day to do them and easier access to grades, missing assignments, etc.”

However, there are also many advantages to taking an online class which make students much more likely to take these classes. Some of these advantages are flexibility, ability to choose your learning environment, self-paced, elimination of social distractions, possible early graduation, and much more. 

According to Unity Environmental University, “The opportunities are endless when it comes to online learning. Online classes allow students to tailor their school hours around personal and professional commitments. For most online classes, all learning and assignments are asynchronous. That means you can watch recorded lectures, participate in class discussions, and complete other learning activities anytime you want. Usually, there will be tasks that need to be done each week, but as long as you submit them by the due dates, exactly when you complete them is up to you.”

In the end, in-person learning is more effective than online learning in many different ways. These ways include immediate feedback, mental health, social and emotional aspects, and lastly an engaging environment for the students. Without in-person learning, students would not be able to have the well-rounded learning experience that every student should be able to have. 

Conner Gibson said, “There is more engagement and better connections to peers and staff.”

With this being said, personal learning is the better option when deciding what schooling is better for kids and teens.