School is traditionally an in-person, multi-class, time-consuming thing that kids must attend, but what if that changed? Well, it might. Some schools are now starting to offer online school. Online school lets a person go to school online on their own time. Online school allows a person to learn through videos and take their quizzes, tests, and class work online. Online school is not the only thing some schools are introducing though. There is also a version where a student can video conference for school. Video conferencing allows someone to video a teacher and learn. There is a slight difference, but overall similar in terms of it being over the internet. With all of the changes happening in the world, could this be a major game-changer? It just might be. Online schooling offers kids to be more responsible, have less stress-induced problems, and take control of their life.

Online school can reduce stress among younger aged people in many ways such as getting more sleep, having less stress-inducing factors around them, and it gives them more time to do things they actually enjoy. Take this as an example, a young teenage girl wakes up at 6am every morning and leaves for her bus at 6:30am. She gets on the bus and talks to friends and gets to school at around 7:00. When she gets to her homeroom she feels tired, but know she has to stay awake so she won't get behind in her classes. By her last class of that day, she has taken two quizzes, got assigned homework in each class, learned she has a test the next time she goes to one of her classes, learned she has a band concert on Sunday, and learned about a project she completely forgot about that is due in two days. When she gets home, she is too tired to even think about starting her homework and takes a nap. When she wakes up she does her homework, but she barely has time to do much else that day. She can not really ask her teachers about an extension on her project because she was just stressed and forgot about it, half of the school deals with the same type of issues. If she did online school she could have gone to her classes with enough energy to put up with everything she was getting, she could potentially finish the classes earlier than she would in school, do homework, and she could still have time to finish her project and maybe even practice her instrument.

Online school could also help kids take control of their life and show them how to be more independent and responsible. If a student took online school they would have more time, which means they could do something with their extra time like get a job or help learn in real life skills that schools would not teach them. If a family was struggling financially and a kid wanted to help out, online school would be really useful because that kid could pick their own school hours and be able to manage their time around that. They could finish their school work, get job experience, and help their family out all because of online school. Another example could be, what if a kid could not take the mental toll of school, but did not want to drop out. Online school would be useful because they could take their time slowly and actually be able to learn and focus on what they are struggling with, rather than sitting lost in class and having to stay after school and waste more time trying to understand.

Like everything, online school also has its cons. If someone just genuinely did not like school and tried everything to avoid it in the first place, then obviously online school would not be for them. If a normal social person tried doing online school, it would probably be more harmful than helpful because it could lead them to shutting themselves out from not being able to meet anyone or make plans in person with anyone. Kids struggling with illnesses such as depression might not be able to keep up with the online classes and end up falling behind anyways. Online school is just a situationally helpful way to stay and learn just on the person's own time. If a students parents and teachers know a kid would not be the right fit for online school, then it would not be recommended for that kid. Overall, online school would beneficial for most students who are struggling with anxiety, sleep-induced issues, or lack of time to do anything because of traditional schooling ways. It would also be beneficial for people who have good time-management or people that want a head start for their career goals or just people who need to financially support themselves.