The cafeteria environment is filled with laughter, small talk, and the smell of food. The savory taste of the wrap station or the sweet taste of coffee. The crowded halls are bustling as students head to their next class. Students chat as they walk the halls before the morning bell, catching up with their friends. The small details like these are a few of the many highlights of Oak Hills High School, and something online students miss out on. Online school can change a student’s high school experience.
Online school has become increasingly popular over the years. Ever since COVID-19, the pandemic that caused a majority of schools to switch to online learning, students have developed a love for staying in the comfort of their homes. According to Devin Peck, an instructional design educator and founder of Peck Academy, online learning has grown by over 900% since 2000. The number of online students is expected to increase to 57 million by 2027. These kids all miss out on the in-person experiences high school gives.
Being an online student can change the high school experience that only happens once. When students learn from home, they miss out on social interactions and fun school activities such as pep rallies. Online students can start to feel isolated as face-to-face interactions decrease. National University, a Veteran-founded, San Diego-based nonprofit college, stated, “The absence of physical presence in a classroom setting can lead to feelings of isolation among online learners.” Sitting at home causes kids to be separated from their peers and educators.
Along with the fact that online learning can cause isolation between students, students are also separated from their teachers. Learning from a computer limits the access students have to help, including their teachers. Unlike being in person, online students can’t just raise their hand for help if they need it. Zoom or any online video chatting platform can lag and glitch. These problems can result in students falling behind or becoming confused if they miss any information. Schools provide students with access to libraries and labs, something online learners lack.
Pep rallies are energizing and bring out everyone’s school spirit. It’s a time when students can cheer on the sports teams, participate in games, and encourage their peers. At Oak Hills, pep rallies are held in the gym or on the football field. They include fun games in which students can participate and compete against each other in friendly competitions. Students who learn from home miss out on the school spirit that occurs when pep rallies happen.
Some might argue that learning online is beneficial for mental health and helps students get their work done at their own pace. Despite the pros of online learning, students can start to procrastinate without a schedule to follow, which can lead to them becoming stressed as work piles up. From the University of Illinois, students can be successful during an online program if they are “well organized, self-motivated, and possess a high degree of time management skills in order to keep up with the pace of the course.” To ensure stress doesn’t build up over time, students should resist waiting until the last minute to complete work, as we often overestimate the amount of time an assignment takes.
High school is said to be the best years of our lives, but students who experience it through a computer screen don’t get the full benefit of in-person learning. In-person learning allows students to make new friends, get the help they need, and become involved in their school. Students should attend in-person school to receive the full high school experience.
