The Pros and Cons of Online High School

By: Justin Montanez, Pinnacle Student

In the past, there was only one way to get a high school education. It involved going to a school and sitting in a classroom for most of the day. The lunches were bad and sometimes so were the teachers. Kids were more concerned about what they were wearing and how their hair looked than what grades they got. It could be difficult to concentrate on what was being discussed in the classroom because someone else might want your attention. However, if you are considering online school as an alternative you need to weigh the pros, the cons, and make up your own mind about what is best for you.

There are many pros to taking classes online. The main ones are that you can work whenever you want and at your own pace. If you are working, you can do your school assignments around your work schedule. You don’t have to get up early and sit in a class when you are half asleep. It also doesn’t matter what you are wearing. You can even do the work in your pajamas if you want to! You can also do work anywhere as long as you have a laptop. You are not confined to a certain room or even a certain building. Online classes can be less intimidating than a classroom. There are no distractions and there are more options for student-teacher communication. Lastly, you don’t have to spend money on gas to get to school.

However, there are also cons to attending online school. If you don’t already have a computer and internet service, these things can cost quite a bit of money. Also, computer malfunctions or internet connection failures can prevent you from completing your work. Online school can be difficult because it requires a student to have quite a bit of discipline. You have no real-world interaction with teachers and you don’t always get immediate feedback on work that is turned in. You also don’t have the opportunity to develop friendships with other classmates.

If you are considering taking online classes, you need to weigh these pros and cons before deciding whether or not to attend regular school or online school. It would be a good idea to determine what style of learning is best for you based on past experiences. If you are someone like me who is easily distracted and finds it difficult to concentrate in a school setting, then online classes could definitely be a good option. If you have a tendency to procrastinate and are not a self starter, then a regular classroom setting might be better for you.

After weighing the pros and cons, it is important to decide based on what is best for you. Don’t let someone else make the decision for you because they might not be a good judge of which environment would allow you to be more successful. Only you can decide what is best for you. Getting a good education is an important part of anyone’s life. No matter what a person decides to do for a career, a good education is almost always a requirement.

A Note from Pinnacle: One of our five Pinnacle sites may be a great alternative for students who need a little extra structure in an online environment.

~ by pinnaclepov2224 on March 21, 2012.