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Alexandra Asp

Mrs. Cramer

Comp I Pd. 8

15 May 2020

Traditional Schooling: The Importance of Crazy Sock Day

The striking differences between online schooling and traditional schooling can cause a

divide in the opinion of society. While online schooling can provide flexibility, traditional

schooling provides more opportunities, social interaction, and structure that online schools

cannot. Students need to learn how to manage a schedule, interact with people they may not get

along with or know, and have educational experiences beyond reading and typing on a computer.

Traditional education is more effective than online schooling because online schools cannot

provide enough social interaction and traditional schools provide more resources and structure

for students.

To begin, online schooling cannot provide the social interactions needed for child

development. Learning how to talk to and get along with peers and teachers is a life skill that

cannot be learned through a screen. Getting feedback in person from teachers allows lengthy and

in-depth conversations, which can make concepts in schoolwork easier to understand. This will

improve student performance in the long run (Online). In addition to that, all students learn and

understand course materials differently. It is difficult for a teacher to gauge a student's needs and

learning style when they do schoolwork online because of the lack of communication tools. A

teacher is unable to read a student's body language or hear their tone of voice if the

communication is purely through emails or texts. Students who are enrolled in online school also
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miss out on events such as pep assemblies, fundraisers, spirit weeks, and school dances

(Littlefield). These authentic traditional school experiences are not only fun, but they also can

teach students how to express themselves and get out of their comfort zones, which again, is

something that cannot be experienced through a screen. These students often become isolated

and anti-social because they were never put in positions to work with others or participate in any

group activities (Littlefield).

Not only do traditional schools provide social interaction, they also provide opportunities

and amenities that online schools cannot. Taking online courses robs students of the ability to

work with their hands and witness lessons in person. For instance, it would be extremely difficult

to do chemistry experiments from home for many reasons. Firstly, students most likely do not

have access to the chemicals or materials needed to do an experiment. Secondly, there is always

room for error, and without proper supervision, like that of a trained chemistry teacher, the

student has a high chance of getting hurt and doing the experiment incorrectly. Chemistry is not

the only course where that scenario or one like that scenario could occur. For students who learn

best with hands on experiences, online classes will not be effective. Some students need to

experience lessons firsthand for them to stick in their minds. Structure is also important for

students. Traditional schools create an environment where students have a set schedule. They

must show up and turn in assignments on time, teaching them to be organized and plan ahead.

Because students must show up for class to learn, they are also learning how to maintain a

schedule and become more disciplined students (Online).

On the other hand, online schooling can be more flexible and less stressful for students.

Because students don’t need to show up for class, they have more time to spend on their

schoolwork. Also, if students are struggling more in one class but doing well in another, they can
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spend more time in the harder class and less time in the easier class, as opposed to spending the

same amount of time in each class during a planned school day (Littlefield). Although online

schooling can offer flexibility, students are often not as motivated to do online classwork

because they are working from home and do not have teachers or peers pushing them

(Littlefield). Will Erstad believes students need to be highly motivated to succeed while being

enrolled in online courses (Erstad). It can often be extremely difficult to be motivated and stay

motivated day to day. The flexibility offered by online courses is outweighed by the amount of

dedication and motivation that comes along with it. Students need the structure of a planned and

timed school day to stay focused. Traditional schools can also offer flexibility through tutoring

programs or even just asking teachers for extra help.

Some people believe online school is more efficient because students can graduate

sooner. Due to the flexibility offered, students can work at their own pace and get assignments

and courses completed faster than students on a traditional school schedule. Therefore, students

enrolled in online school can graduate sooner and start working or obtaining a higher education

faster. In spite of having the ability to graduate quicker, the quality of education is not as good as

the education given in a traditional school setting. Graduating sooner also means not spending

the necessary amount of time needed to understand course materials. Also, being taught lessons

in person by a teacher in a classroom, is a much more efficient way of teaching than watching

videos online. Videos only explain something one or two ways. If a student does not understand

how a video is explaining a concept, the student will most likely not do well on assignments

involving that concept or subject. With an in-person experience, if a student does not understand

an assignment, they can have it explained to them in multiple different ways, or until they have a

clearer understanding of the assignments or subject material.

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Traditional education is more effective than online schooling because online schools

cannot provide enough social interaction or structure and traditional schools provide more

resources. While online schooling can provide flexibility to students, it cannot provide the

necessary amount of resources, hands on experiments, structure, or social interaction. The social

and organizational skills learned in a traditional school setting cannot be replicated through a

screen, along with experiencing school dances, pep rallies, and crazy sock days.
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Works Cited

Erstad, Will. "Online vs. Traditional Education: What You Need To Know." Rasmussen College,

Feb. 2014, www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/online-vs-traditional-

education-answer-never-expected/. Accessed 6 May 2020.

Littlefield, Jamie. "Pros and Cons of Earning Your High School Diploma Online." ThoughtCo.,

www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-of-online-diplomas-1098439. Accessed 6 May 2020.

"Online Education vs Traditional Education: Which One Is Better." ezTalks,

www.eztalks.com/online-education/online-education-vs-traditional-education-which-one-

is-better.html. Accessed 5 May 2020.