Visualize this: a student has been suffering for months on end from depression. Every day, he is hesitant to attend school, as he knows the stressful environment exacerbates the symptoms of his depression. When he speaks to his principal about taking time off from school, his principal presents an even better solution: taking classes from home. As soon as the student begins his classes online, he notices a shift in his mental health. He actually enjoys learning. This is only one example of the benefits classes online could present. There is actually a myriad of benefits for students that results from them attending classes from home, including aiding students in maintaining their health, more exclusive teaching that is comfortable for all, and providing a way for students to learn while giving them time to attain their goals.

This method of learning may be more helpful now than ever. At a time where such a great epidemic -the Coronavirus- is present, students risk spreading the disease when they are compelled to go to school despite being ill. However, there is no way for them to remain home and keep up with schoolwork. This fear of being unable to attend school and still keeping up with their course load is one that plagues many students. Personally speaking, I can reference numerous students who have felt dangerously ill on school days, but were so afraid of missing tests and presentations that they still came. They felt that if they even missed one day, they would have missed salient lessons, causing their work to pile up, resulting in stress. Providing an alternate method for these students to learn, such as online classes, would have mitigated their concerns. This logic pertains to mental health as well. It is common knowledge that the mental health of adolescents in this generation is declining, and the most prominent reason is school. Online classes provide an avenue for students who feel their mental health is worsening to still receive an education but from a place of comfort, which is their home.

Additionally, simply put, some students may just learn better in an online environment. Attending a school with thousands of students is not necessarily the most desirable environment for every student, not every day. Students are forced to learn in classrooms with another 20-30 students. Some students have trouble concentrating with so many of their peers present. There will be less people at a time in online classes, so they can learn better and acquire a better grasp on concepts, as there are less distracting factors. The primary benefit, however, is for students with social anxiety, those who feel intimidated by the presence of others, which is more common than one might think. Those who say social anxiety can be reduced by being around large quantities of people at a time do not understand the mechanisms of anxiety. Sometimes time is the best remedy; being forced to indulge in conversation with their peers will only be an obstacle to students with anxiety-related issues. This obstruction is eliminated in distance learning.

Furthermore, though the specific details of online school have not been listed, such as the duration of classes, it can be assumed that class length will be dependent upon the student. For example, if a student's schedule is comprised of Algebra II, Biology, US History, and English Language and Composition, if the student is strong in math, he or she will likely speed through the course, allotting more time to the other subjects. If the online classes are based upon pace, students can get through subjects quicker, rather than being forced to remain in a class for an hour and a half. This results in students having more time to engage in the activities they are passionate about while having more flexible schedules. Why is this significant? Well, for example, places like INOVA have volunteer programs for kids to help senior citizens that require people to work from 12 pm-3 pm on weekdays. A regular student could not possibly participate in that program, regardless of how passionate he or she is about helping the elderly. Alternatively, if a student had an idea for a groundbreaking research project that he or she must complete in a lab, the student could devote more time to developing their procedure and collecting data than before. Attending school in person, regularly, will likely be an obstacle for these students, as a nearly 8

hour long school day with four hours of homework and mandatory extracurriculars does not leave sufficient time for the students to pursue their dreams. Now, some may argue that the subset of students previously mentioned is not representative of the majority of students, but that is information we will likely never know, as they are not permitted the time necessary to explore their interests. Perhaps there are many students with innovative ideas for research projects that lack the time for it. With the addition of online school, students might be able to devote more time to discovering their interests and pursuing them.

Although there may be debate about the ways in which online school can be taken advantage of, people should learn to focus on the best in children and the online system, not their potential and minuscule disadvantages. Permitting students to attend classes from home has a variety of advantages. Among those, the most evident ones are that students can focus more of their time on their passions, learn better, and preserve their health without concern of missing class. Schools are meant to be a place where students can grow by obtaining knowledge and applying it. Whether classes are online or in-person should not matter greatly (though online may actually be more helpful), as the outcome of an education will remain the same. Thus, experiencing learning via video conferencing and online resources is a solution to both improve the quality of education and the well being of students in the long-term. 