Yes
in favor of Internet schooling - you could accomplish the same things with home terminals.
No. I have been involved in "distance learning" from both ends. It's a poor substitute for the real thing. Education, particularly education beyond very focused technical instruction, is a very human process with emotional as well as intellectual aspects. Internet or other long distance communication is very sterile compared to in-person communication. It's much easier to form a human relationship with the person in the same room than with a person on the other end of a telephone line.
I have to disagree with this from what I've investigated so far. The schooling my grandgirls will be involved with have frequent field trips with classmates....orientations etc. where these kids do meet one another and form lasting friendshipss thru their instuctions....this also coming from the students themselves. Additionally, they will continue to be involved in the school activities they were involved with prior, thus maintaining their relationships already established.
One other thing...I think it’s important as well the relationship the parents have with their children. I know that my son and his wife have been actively involved with their children from day one and completely understand their responsibilty for their children’s “overall” welfare.
Some of the reasons for them going the direction they now do is not being able to get the co-operation of public school teachers to even acknowledge their e-mails....let alone finding tutors when they felt it was necessary. An example was when my granddaughter was seriously hurt in a car accident....it took two months of scrapping with the school system to even consider tutoring her at home, and finally my daughter-in-law took on that responsibility and taught her daughter herself. BTW as a result she excelled and won a school scholarship. But the school failed miserably in showing any concern....it was a battle on a constant to get them to co-operate.