I wake up in the morning whenever my body feels the need to on an actual school day, and I quickly get ready for the long day of school ahead of me. Instead of driving to my actual school, I only need to turn on my computer as I am instantly now at school but in my small, messy bedroom. Some schools offer an alternative way of the traditional way of teaching by having teachers teach the students online rather than in person at school. These students would attend their classes simply by video conferencing their teachers to receive their education. Although this style sounds ideal for many people, it is actually not beneficial and even harmful to the students. It would have a negative effect on students if they were to attend classes at home because they would become very distracted, some students are hands-on learners, and it would make the students more prone to cheat.

The first negative effect online classes have is the plentiful amount of distractions in a student's home which will cause him or her to lack in focus with the classes. I have taken many practice SATs at the library and on the desk in my bedroom, yet I always manage to do significantly better at the library due to the constant phone ringing, conversations within the household, and simple distractions in my house that take my attention away from what is actually important. In any household, there will always be distractions that will cause the students to not pay attention to their online class which ultimately destroys the whole purpose of receiving education at home. Although there may be distractions at an actual school, it does not amount to the distractions there are in one's household which will allow students to be focused on learning if they were to physically attend school. Students associate school with working hard and learning while they associate their home with relaxation. If students were to receive online schooling, instead of associating school with working hard they would begin to associate school with being lazy and laid back. This will create a mindset within these students that their online classes are not a priority; therefore causing these students to be even more distracted when video conferencing. This lack of focus on their education will lead to a lack of learning which is detrimental to these students in the end. The constant distractions at home is why online classes are not beneficial to the students.

There are many different ways that students learn the best, yet online teaching will eliminate all those ways besides auditory learning. Personally, I am a very visual and hands-on learner. I will not comprehend what my teachers are teaching if they are just discussing the subject. The only way for me to learn is to physically see or experience what my teachers are trying to teach. Many students are not auditory learners meaning that they can not learn just by listening to what the teacher has to say. Due to the classes being through a computer, the education these students are receiving is strictly auditory learning which is not beneficial to those who are visual or hands-on learners. For example, Generic_Name is trying to become a better basketball player. He has constantly been watching basketball training videos on his computer, yet he has not been improving. He does not improve until he actually tries the drills in real life instead of just watching players do it online. This shows how Generic_Name is a hands-on learner as he did not learn the skills until he physically experienced playing. This is the same problem with online classes; people who are not auditory learners will be obsolete due to them not being able to learn through a computer, but in actual school teachers incorporate all different types of learning for their students. Online school being exclusive to auditory learners is another reason why it is not beneficial to students.

The last reason for why education through the internet is not helpful is because it causes students to be more prone to cheat. Over the summer, I took Economics and Finance online where on a test I did not know any of the answers so I simply opened a new tab on my computer, searched up all the answers, and aced the test by flying colors. The simplicity and efficiency of this strategy inclined me to do it for the rest of the tests and quizzes in the course. The same method will be used for the students taking tests and quizzes through online classes because it is so simple and quick and there is nobody to hold them accountable. In actual school, this will not happen due to the tests and quizzes being physical copies and the teachers being on constant alert. This is further shown in this example, Generic_Name, a high school student, is taking an AP course through the internet. It is a difficult course, yet her easy access to the internet allows her to search up the answers for every test and quiz. She ends up finishing the course with a very high grade in the class due to her high test scores. But when she has to take the AP exam in person, she fails the exam by a wide margin due to her lack of knowledge on the subject. The cheating that will occur through these classes at home will lead to these students actually not learning any of the information that is taught through these video conferences. If the students are not learning due to the cheating, it makes the online classes useless for the students and the teachers. The amount of cheating that comes along with online school is the final reason why it is not beneficial to the students.

The abundant amount of distractions, only accounting for one type of learner, and the increase of cheating are all reasons why taking online classes at home is not beneficial to the students. All these reasons lead to these students not learning the information they need to learn. This takes away the sole purpose of a school which is to provide students with the education they need in order to have a successful future.