As TCS transitions back to in-person learning, it’s vital to reflect on online education and how this tool can be valuable in a post-pandemic context to help students with specific needs or preferences.

With online learning no longer necessary, distance learning is often overlooked as a valuable alternative for those seeking a more flexible and personalized educational experience, however, the pandemic empowered thousands of students around the world to consider online school as a prized opportunity.

“There are many scenarios where online learning can be a great tool, for instance when learning from a mentor in a different country or region or when people have a restricted schedule from outside activities such as work or sports,” Julian Zuñiga, high school technology teacher, said.

To understand the limitations of online learning, the experiences of both students and educators must be considered. Martin Robles, a senior at The Columbus School, shares his perspective on the trade-offs of online education after leaving school for a year to pursue his dream.

“Overall, online school was a very different experience for me as I had the chance to do all my learning at home to focus on working towards my goal of becoming a professional tennis player,” Robles said.

Robles’s journey through online learning emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to education and the essential role of physical classrooms in socialization and learning habits.

“Academically it was pretty similar as I often missed a lot of class; I did most of the work at home, so that wasn’t such a big change for me. However, socially, I was a little affected as I lost contact with many of my friends,” Robles said.

Before making the decision to pursue online learning, many students acknowledge the commitment and sacrifices necessary but are attracted by the flexibility that learning online offers.

“Maintaining social relationships while on online learning was especially hard as I had to focus not only on my classes but also on playing tennis, but it is a sacrifice you have to be willing to make by taking this decision,” Robles said.

However, learning virtually also had many benefits for Robles, a high-performance athlete which ultimately outweigh the sacrifices.

“The thing that I miss the most about online school was the flexibility I had to rest, train, and go to class at any time,” Robles said.

While online learning offered Martin more flexibility in pursuing his passion, it demanded greater discipline and motivation when he lacked the pressure of a face-to-face environment.

“My biggest challenge was being disciplined and finding motivation as during the first months of online learning, I often struggled to be disciplined with school while being at home,” Robles said.

Julian Zuñiga, high school technology teacher at TCS, emphasizes this idea noticing the struggles of students during the pandemic.

“Some students were very lazy and struggled to have a structured learning process which forced them to learn to be responsible and disciplined with their own work(…) During the pandemic, many people benefited but many people failed to adapt which affected their performance,” Zuñiga said.

Teachers at TCS also believe that online learning cannot fully replace school yet because human interaction is key and technological barriers are still present.

“The main challenges with online learning is knowing whether a student is actually doing the work and having access to human contact which is super important in learning(…) I don’t think it could fully replace traditional learning yet,” Zuñiga said.

For this reason, online learning at TCS will remain for exceptional scenarios only because it provides flexibility for those who excel in extracurricular activities such as sports.

“I think that online learning requires a person that is willing to make sacrifices and that has the motivation and discipline to put things aside to pursue this challenge,” Robles said.