Online school is when students are removed from the in-person classroom environment and given virtual classes, materials, teachers, and students to work and interact with over the internet. Because of the advancement of technology these days, it's easier for educators to reach out to students and aid them in their studies online if they are not available during the operating school day. All though the internet has made education easily accessible to the privileged, it still does not equate to it being the best option for all students. In all seriousness, online school has many downsides and is not very beneficial to students, because; it eliminates the very same social settings that encourages creativity and teamwork, it tarnishes the work ethic of students, and it is not a functional learning tool for all.

The at-school social setting enables creativity and builds cooperation and teamwork skills. The face-to-face aspect of in-class instruction is taken away by online school. The different and almost lax environment makes it easy for peers to hide behind each other and avoid hands on experiences with their instructor. When students think they have been given the opportunity to "take advantage" of the system, they take it. Little do they know, they are harming and depriving themselves of a valuable education by being coy and timid in the class. In a real school setting, they would be easily seen and helped by their teacher without having to be shy or scared.

Secondly, online school destroys students' work ethic. The flexibility of online school will cause students to become too comfortable. Although some may argue it creates time to take care of family and at-home matters, only a small percentage of teenagers are in those desperate predicaments. Most students use this small leeway as freedom to interact with each other or find something to occupy their time with. As a result of students becoming comfortable, they push the envelope and start procrastinating. In the end, students do not get any work done and it harms their grades.

Although online school might be a perfectly acceptable way to learn and retain information for some people, for others it is simply not the case. Students with learning disabilities such as, ADD or ADHD, will find it difficult to thrive by learning at a screen for extensive hours at a time. It will also be more challenging for teachers to notice learning disabilities in students who have not been diagnosed or introduced to them. In addition, some students need hands-on experience; such learners will also struggle with learning in an online class. Face-to-face educational institutions cater to most, if not all, learning styles. Whether a student needs visuals, hands on interaction, or prefers self-written notes, obtaining and retaining information is increasingly more successful in in-school classrooms.

All-in-all, the online school system does more to harm than help it's students. While it may seem like a convenient way to teach students it, discourages social settings that benefit creativity and teamwork, it harms the work ethic of students, and it is not a functional learning tool that can cater for all kinds of students. In the end online school proves itself as inadequate and ineffective due to the tendency to not necessarily teach students, but teach at students.