In an ever-transforming capitalist society, we still find ourselves longing to achieve the "American Dream", a dated concept that we are all competing amongst ourselves towards the desired outcome of eternal "happiness" "prosperity". Though these ideas are loosely defined, it is evident that this ideal is still widely present within our society; which explains partially why we strenuously embark on our own educational journeys despite having little interest in the information we are being presented. Some students prefer to make amends in their journey towards their

American Dream,

opting for a "distance education" which allows students to learn via online instruction or video conferencing.

Although distance learning is sometimes regarded as a preferred alternative for many students who may struggle in a traditional K-12 setting, this form of education is restrictive in the sense that it has the potential to be diminishing towards the necessary social development needed for students to succeed in society.

While receiving an online education may offer a more comfortable environment for many students, even offering a nuanced opportunity towards the development of valuable time management skills, typical in-school education provides critical social benefits that an isolated, online-based school environment would struggle to provide. An example of this can be observed on a daily basis: with the simple accessibility of smart phones, it is now engraved in our culture that using technology to opt out of social situations is acceptable and more commonplace than ever before. This is because our long-term un-moderated exposure to technology and its tendency to distract us from meaningful relationships with the people around us, is used as an excuse to limit our own social development. As a technologically-dependent and ever-evolving 21st century society, it would be unrealistic to propose that we halt the development of new technology as a means to preserve basic human interaction. Because these social habits are nearly irreversible on a global scale, an isolated, 100% digitized school environment would only promote the social debilitation of today's adolescent student body.

An in-school education strives to mimic the workplace environment. An example of this is the push for "hands-on" learning in the classroom as a response to criticism about lecture and textbook-style education for a more realistic alternative. Hands-on learning has been notably successful across the K-12 community in ensuring that students are not only consuming the information they are receiving, but also applying them in practical situations. This is especially common in CTE courses, where students have the opportunity to operate machinery and complete manual work to prepare them for the demands of that corresponding career pathway. Online schooling, in contrast to a standard public education, fails to fulfill the psychological and tangible necessity for students to fully engage with their learning. Learning through a screen only addresses the consumption of material, while in-school education promotes the routine of a workplace, where employees are not only technologically skilled, but are required to perform manual work as well.

In-school education is necessary for all students in order to provide an effective education system that encourages the fair success of our future in a competitive capitalist society. On both a societal and individual level, an in-school education would entail lifelong social, personal, and monetary benefits that an online education would simply fail to provide long-term. Furthermore, proper socialization beyond core content is a necessity in education.