In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm.

The temptation for those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology could be so strong that they ignore     1     disadvantages of distance learning. School facilities are expensive     2    (build). Online classes do not require buildings and each class can host hundreds of people at the same time,     3    (result) in greater savings. But moving away from a traditional classroom     4     a living, breathing human being teaches and interacts with students daily     5    (be) a disaster. Physically attending school has hidden benefits: getting up     6    (early), interacting more with peers, and building better relationships with teachers. Moreover, schools should be more than simple institutions of traditional learning. They are places where students     7    (offer) counseling (咨询) and other support.

Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to transform education overnight.     8    , online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help. Educational videos are unable to make eye contact or assess a student’s level of engagement. Given these     9    (expect), schools should not become permanently “remote”. Technology, however     10    (advance), should simply be a tool of a good teacher.

School districts across the United States have reported the number of students failing classes     1     (rise) many times higher than usual numbers since the pandemic broke out. Erik Jespersen is principal of McNary High School, Oregon. At his school, 38 percent of grades in late October were failing,     2     (compare)with 8 percent in normal times.

    3     (educate) see a number of reasons for the change. Students learning from home often miss assignments     4     (complete). Internet availability is     5     (limit)or not effectively established,     6     (make) it difficult to complete and upload assignments. And teachers    7     do not see their students in person have    8     (few) ways to note who is falling behind. That is especially true with many students keeping their cameras off during online classes.

The increase    9     failing grades has been seen in districts of all sizes throughout the country. Now, many schools have increased efforts to return to in-person learning. Other schools are changing their grading policies and giving students more time to complete assignments. Teachers have been instructed to give less homework     10     urged to find different ways of teaching