The new school year is just around the corner and so many families are trying to figure out how that is going to look. For some, virtual schooling is the only option, and that may or may not look like it did in the spring. For others, they might have a choice between virtual, in-person schooling, or even a hybrid option with some in-school days and some at home.
Trying to decide what is best is almost impossible. There seems to be pros and cons to every decision. Every family needs to decide what works for their kids and their situation.
When it comes to virtual schooling, there are a lot of benefits to doing so. At the same time, there can be some cons. Here is the breakdown.
Pros to Virtual Schooling
- Don’t have to worry about schools closing- If your kids are at home, you don’t have to worry about schools closing again because of the virus. This is a very real possibility, and one schools are aware of, but virtual schooling means it won’t matter if your local school district does send the kids home. Your children will already be there.
- Can streamline the school year- Virtually schooling at home also means you won’t have any interruptions with your child’s schooling. The school year will be a lot more streamlined. Your kids will start virtually, and continue to be virtual each and every day.
- Don’t have to worry about being exposed to possible cases of COVID- No matter what schools will do to keep kids safe, there could always be the chance of them encountering someone with COVID. We still don’t even know if what the school district has planned will even be sustainable. Virtual schooling takes away any fear you might have about this.
- A more relaxed learning environment- With virtual schooling, your child will still need to work hard and take school seriously. However, just by staying home, it will be a more relaxed learning environment. Your child might be able to sleep in a bit more, and might not be on a strict time schedule depending on the school’s requirements.
Cons to Virtual Schooling
- Not being with teachers and classmates in person- The biggest benefit of sending your child to school and not virtually schooling is that they will be able to be with their teachers and classmates in person. Of course, it will look different than it has in the past, but you won’t get that same type of interaction by going to school virtually.
- Could be a struggle to go back to traditional in the future – If the plan is to only virtual school during the pandemic, and then go back, it might be harder to do so. This of course depends on the child, and in the end, you might find that virtual is a better option for them, regardless of what is going on during the virus.
- Technical challenges – The internet isn’t always reliable, and not every household with kids even has reliable internet. This could be an issue with virtual schooling. If the internet goes down, it becomes a lot harder to do school.
- More parental involvement – If your kids are going to be doing virtual school in the fall, there will need to be more parental evolvement, especially at the younger ages. You as the parent might need to be there the whole day, or be available when your child needs you. This can be difficult or even impossible for working parents.
As of right now, I will have one doing virtual schooling and two going in-person. We will see how all of that goes. Making these types of decisions are never easy and I just hope and pray we are making the right one for each of our children.