Benefits of Online Teaching

By Ashley Carbone
Florida Virtual School
American Government and Economics Instructor
Online teaching provides professional benefits. I finally have the resources to teach the students by implementing best practices. Skeptics of online learning do not understand that there can be more individualized teaching online than in a regular classroom. Simply talking to a student on the phone for fifteen minutes will clear up any questions on assignments. How often does a classroom teacher get fifteen minutes to spend on one student without any distractions? I am also able to give more ownership to the students. They know that they are the ones who pass the course, not the teachers who pass them. They admit when they are procrastinating and proceed to complete the work. And most important of all, they appreciate these lessons. It is still sometimes difficult to reach the parents and students, but they seem more receptive to an online teacher calling than when I was a classroom teacher. Perhaps it is because we wish to converse about improvements as well as roadblocks, if necessary. Talking to students and parents via the phone is a privilege because it provides the one-on-one time.