Why Online High Schools Aren’t Productive as Traditional School

The continuous evolution of technology brings newer options to learn remotely. From Skype to Zoom, you’ll find countless software and platforms where you can connect and learn from your teachers and fellow colleagues while sitting at home. 

While it has its advantages and there are situations when online schooling is the only resort, traditional schooling is still the preferred option among the two.

After all, millions of kids who wake up early morning, get dressed and head to school must have a good reason to do so, or at least their parents will. 

If you think the parents all simply following the convention without giving it much thought, that’s not entirely the case. Online high schools pose several disadvantages when compared with traditional schooling; here is a list of some:

Limited social development

Social development is one of the most important part of learning that’s lacking in online high schools. When the students physically spend a good number of hours in a traditional school, they interact with their colleagues and teachers and take part in several activities such as sports, debates, and volunteer works.

Each one of these activities is a social opportunity that contributes to building their character and turning them into a confident, self-established individual.

These opportunities, however, are limited when you take online courses. It may establish the same understanding of the academics as with traditional schooling, but interaction with people is limited.

Need for self-motivation and discipline 

There are several factors that will drive the students forward when they study at a traditional high school; their teachers who give out assignments, ask questions and take quizzes regularly to keep a check, exams where they compete with a bunch of fellow students and strive to maintain a reputation, etc. While online courses also have deadlines on the assignments and quizzes, the motivation is limited. 

When you know that the deadline for a test is in 4 days and you can revise the course in an hour before it, you will naturally make little use of the 4 days that are offered to you.

When enrolled in an online high school, the student must be self-motivated and self-disciplined to achieve what they plan. They must prepare a study timetable and stick to it, even if there’s isn’t a teacher directing them throughout the courses. 

The possibilities of non-accredited high schools 

The internet isn’t the most authentic resource when searching for online high schools. In your hunt for online high schools, you’ll come across countless programs that will offer enrolment and charge you good money, only to reveal later that they are not accredited. 

If you do plan on enrolling yourself or your kid in an online high school, please do plenty of research. Make absolutely sure that the program you pay for is accredited by authorities and will be recognized when you apply for higher studies on the basis of this degree. 

Disrupted routine

Traditional schooling steers the students’ routine in a healthy direction. We all know how going to bed early, waking up on time, eating breakfast and setting out to work contributes to a healthy routine.

This routine can only be enforced on a high school student if he or she has to be somewhere on time. Of course, the class is going to start at the specified time; it will not be adjusted to their preferences. 

In contrast, the flexible timings for online high schools do not do a very good job of maintaining a healthy routine for students. Waking up late, skipping breakfast and staying up late at night, may not be a problem initially. However, the disrupted routine will be very difficult to set right once they start university or are hired as a fulltime employee.