Modern Homeschooling: Not So Lonely Anymore

         

                The city life, home of the fast-paced life, party scene, & high social stimulation. In other words, a complete nightmare to people like me, introverts. We, introverts, prefer low stimulation, a lot of personal time, & most importantly to talk low, very low for some of us. In contrast,  you have to be loud, assertive, and dominant in the city: there is no balance, and it affects the educational system. However, since the expansion of technology, there is now a way for introverts to enjoy school again, and it is through online courses. It’s a good era to live in if you are an introvert. Online courses enable every student’s voice to be heard, without the need to eagerly raise a hand. You’re probably wondering why an introvert would want to raise their hand to begin with: there aren't many choices when you want to get an "A" in a class, and participation is worth fifth percent of the overall grade. Susan Cain was right when she stated in one her TED talk videos that “in a way, education by its nature favors the extrovert because you are taking kids and putting them into a big classroom, which is automatically going to be a high-stimulation environment. Probably the best way of teaching in general is one on one, but that's not something everyone can afford.” However, with new media such as Skype, web 2.0, and more, that no longer has to be the case, because of online courses. On a side note, it is important to clear the misconception that social stimulation isn’t important for introverts. We are normal human beings, and it’s natural for people to feel lonely at times, and that is not a good feeling. In fact, introverts like myself, love people’s company; it just means that when it comes to learning we prefer low stimulation because that is how we are able to think better. Online courses allow people to have the comfort of schooling at home, but being connected online with colleagues; in a way, online students always have company, but with personal space at the same time. However, I do believe that introverts and extroverts should be getting the best of both worlds. It is important to have personal time, and group time. Maybe as time progress, the new media and technology will advance to a level that will completely balance out the academic system. Thirty years ago, the idea of an online course sounded like something that came out from “Star Trek”. Maybe the idea of a virtual school doesn’t sound too crazy. A virtual school that allows you to have the ability to learn in environments that best suit you.  



- Jose Vazquez