Online learning has taken off massively due to global rolling lockdowns that forced educational institutions to shut their doors indefinitely. However, various regions have since lightened lockdown regulations and allowed schools to reopen under stringent health and safety policies. Unfortunately, despite the release of a vaccine, parents worldwide still feel burdened with the decision to remain reliant on online learning or send their children back to traditional school. Beating the ‘back to school’ stationery shopping frenzy is suddenly not the biggest worry for parents anymore. To assist you in making the right choice for your child, we have summed up the advantages and disadvantages associated with both traditional schooling and online learning during the pandemic.
Traditional Schooling
Traditional schooling offers parents and children a lengthy list of benefits, although a few disadvantages stem directly from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Public or government schooling stresses the concern of health and safety purely because classrooms are larger and less able to adapt to some covid19 regulations, such as social distancing. In the past, this downfall of public schooling only raised the concern that children are less able to benefit from individual attention, while health and safety are a new concern. To overcome this downfall, you could consider private schooling institutes such as a private middle school in Madison or a similar educational institute in your area.
Some advantages of traditional schooling are that your child will develop valuable social skills to help them navigate their future careers. At the same time, your child will also build self-confidence, conform to authority, and learn essential life skills like independence, motivation, and even time management. The strict routine structure in traditional schooling environments is mostly beneficial to the development of young minds. Should you consider traditional schooling, it is best to evaluate the school’s covid19 policies and assess whether the school is making every effort to implement recommendations from the World Health Organization.
Online Learning
Online learning has been an alternative to traditional schooling long before the covid19 viral outbreak. However, it has recently become prevalent. While the benefits of online education will provide parents peace of mind in terms of health and safety regulations that conform to covid19 recommendations, the main downfall is that your child will not be able to develop social skills from virtual learning. Your child may receive individual attention and find the home environment more comfortable to learn with confidence. However, a lack of social interaction can lead to feelings of isolation, depression, and even anxiety.
Online education may provide certainty that your child is safe from the virus while the pandemic drags on, but parents should consider all the pros and cons of both options before making a decision. Online schooling may be more suitable for youngsters that can function well without much supervision, enjoy learning, and grasp new concepts well. On the other hand, all children are different, and some can function in the social environment that traditional schooling provides. As a result, you should consider your child’s strengths, weaknesses, and personality traits to make the most beneficial decision.
Leave a Reply