School is known as the most stressful part in a teen's day. They have to wake up early, brush their teeth, get dressed and arrive before a specified time. For people in northern Virginia, it is a difficult task them. Because of this, many students end up missing classes or become absent for the whole day. There are many other reasons for students missing school, such as being sick or having surgery. While this may be a small problem, there is a solution that solve it efficiently, which is online classes. Students benefit from having the ability to take online classes, because it assists students who are not able to attend class regularly, gives them the ability to take more classes than a normal school day, and provides them with more time to do activities outside of school.

First, online school helps students who cannot make it to class on a regular basis. For example, Generic_Name, a senior at Generic_School, has had cancer for two years and spends most of his time in hospitals, or at home. As a result, he has a 2.2 GPA and is struggling to keep it there. When Generic_Name is in school, he feels very insecure and depressed because of the way his life is. People are always coming up to him and asking questions about his looks and why he is antisocial. In this situation, Generic_Name would benefit greatly from being able to attend online classes. Having that opportunity would give him the fair chances other students have to succeed. Another instance is Generic_Name, a sophomore at Generic_School. She has a disease that gives her a very week immune system, which makes her miss school often. She usually is absent for weeks, or even months. To combat that, Generic_Name tries to get any work she is going to miss early. The problem with this is her teachers only print out the materials for the week. She tries to get in touch with them for the rest of the work, but they always respond late. At the end of the second quarter, her grades are all C's and one D. Generic_Name is desperate to find a solution to get her out of the situation she's in. Like the last example, taking online school would be the best option for Generic_Name to bring up her grades.

Second, having online classes gives students the chance to take more classes than in a normal school day. In this case, Generic_Name, a junior at Generic_School, really wants to take Culinary Arts and Astronomy, but does not have enough space in his schedule for it. He is stuck between the two, because he really enjoys providing his family with cooked meals, but also is enthusiastic about learning about space and galaxies. He already chose 6 mandatory classes and does not want to take either one in college. This case proves receiving the ability to take online classes would be beneficial. Another example is Generic_Name, a senior who wants to become an engineer in the future. Because of his graduation requirements, he was not able to take Engineering 2 this year. to go to his dream school, Virginia Tech, he must take two years of Engineering to major in that field. He feels like he has no options left for him and is debating on changing his major. This instance again shows being able to take online school could give a person, like Generic_Name, a chance to pursue their dream career.

Lastly, the ability for students to take classes online gives them more time to do tasks outside of school. A scenario of this is Generic_Name, a freshman, that has to take care of his siblings while his mom is at work. He can only go to school one day a week, if his mom has off. This puts a great amount of stress on Generic_Name. When he gets to school, he has to go to each teacher and receive what he is going to miss for that week. Generic_Name's situation makes it even harder for him to take assessments, because he has to finish all of them in one school day. His mother feels very bad for him, but without her job, the family would be homeless. If Generic_Name was able to take online classes, he could take care of his siblings and be able to complete his assessments on time; It would also relieve the stress on him. Another case of this is Generic_Name, a 16 year old sophomore, who has to work 2 jobs to help her dad afford the rent. Because of this, she misses a great amount of school time to get hours. Generic_Name is even forced to take late shifts to make enough. She tries to make up her work whenever, but it is hard for her to find time to do so. She feels as if she will not pass this school year if no change is made. A simple solution to this is allowing Generic_Name to take online classes. That would give her more time to focus and complete school work, improving her grades.

To sum it up, students having the opportunity to take online classes would improve a student's grades. Likewise, it gives students the chance to take more classes, something that is not provided in a school building. To add on, it allows students to have more time to do tasks outside the classroom. In life, one option does not appeal to everyone. At restaurants, there are different combinations to order, or even unique sides to add on. At stores, there are different products that attract a separate group of people. Online school and video conferencing is the same way, it appeals to people who can not do their best in a classroom. No matter a person's background or where they come from, online school could be the little boost they needed to change their life and future for the better.                 