Technology has come a long way in the past few decades. Every year, companies are expanding upon products of the past in order to better suit the future. But these new advancements cannot replace face-to-face interactions. Schools offer distance learning courses and, of course, those classes are extremely beneficial to students who are unable to come to school, whether due to illness, distance, or other circumstances. But distance learning lacks important characteristics which are essential to childhood development. While distance learning can provide better opportunities for students who cannot otherwise come to school, it is an inadequate alternative to traditional schooling and most students would not benefit from it because not only can students be distracted by their home environment, but they'd also find that online education can't accommodate to their unique learning patterns, and they'd lose the vital connections and interactions they'd otherwise face in a classroom setting.

Online learning can't be beneficial if the students are far too distracted to learn. Students commonly have pets and other siblings. Loud barking and incessant children can be a huge distraction, especially when students are already acclimated to the toned-down classroom environment. Plus, having electronics around, like a gaming console or a pair of headphones, is tempting to a bored student. It's far easier to reach over and turn on a controller and play a game when it's right next to you. Distance education may allow you to work at your own pace, but when you're working far too slow because you continue to "take breaks," whether to deal with distractions out of your control or to procrastinate the entire day, it's no longer beneficial and you aren't making any real progress like you would in a classroom with little to steal your attention.

Not only do traditional classes keep distractions to a minimum, they also provide multiple ways of learning material. Students are unique in how they learn, some requiring hands-on experiments while others prefer reading and lectures. Online learning oftentimes is unable to accommodate those unique patterns. From personal experience, hands-on learning is often kept to a minimum, and video-conferencing is limited as connections suffer difficulties resulting in poor audio quality. Students are left to fend for themselves in this scenario because their needs cannot be provided for. If students' needs aren't met, the material is wasted on them as it won't "click" in their heads. No learning is being done, so students are not benefiting like they would in an environment designed to meet their learning needs. Students who otherwise wouldn't be at school due to a preexisting condition could continue to learn and avoid missing "instruction" time, but they aren't really learning much either if there is no way to accommodate them like in a physical classroom.

Learning needs aren't the only ones being unfulfilled, either. With an online education, students aren't interacting with others like they would at school. They aren't facing conflicts, establishing friendships, or understanding the dynamic between themselves and higher authorities. Online education cannot replicate the experiences you go through at school. Without these daily interactions, students become unprepared to face the "real world." They become accustomed to this idea of living in a bubble of comfort. But they aren't prepared to have those interactions or establish those connections because they have no experience doing so. Online or distance education stunts their growth in that regard. So, while students who travel far in order to get an education are able to get a form of education, they aren't going to grow socially by staying at home.

Granted, distance education is a great thing. Students who didn't have access to formal education before are now able to receive it, opening them up to more opportunities later in life. But distance education shouldn't be considered a perfect alternative. It doesn't make up for experiences you can have in a traditional setting. Communicating online has a separate etiquette than doing so face-to-face. While you may be getting the standard textbook materials, distance education isn't all that beneficial, especially to those who face distractions at home, require a different learning experience, or need to expand their social capacities. Online education is limited, and should only be used when absolutely necessary, for the student's sake.