NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

THE ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

ENGL 1020 – 3050ONL

4.2 Assignment

Natalie Martinez Molina

Student # 1505270311
02/06/2021
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Should closed schools be reopened?

Governor of PR, Pedro Pierluisi has already given the directive to look for the

necessary measures to be able to reopen schools in march of this year. But would it be

a good idea students return to the schools? In my opinion, it would be a good for

students to go back to school only 3 days a week, at least until everything go back to

normal. There are some points I’m going to explain of why I think they should return to

schools. I know parents think differently, but reopened schools are better choice for

three reasons.

First, schools should reopen because students have los a lot of academic

material. Online classes are not the same as face-to-face, because they do not pay

necessary attention to study due to distractions at home. There may be more than one

student or younger siblings in the house who can interfere with concentration. They are

in a place where they have games, toys, television, and other things that can affect their

academic performance online. According to a study, students who take online courses

are exposed to more distractions than face-to-face courses, a situation that affects their

grades.

Second, some parents are unable to dedicate enough time to help their children

in online classes because they work full time. It is also more difficult for a child to have a

school discipline at home since they are in their comfort zone. There are students who

make it more difficult to follow instructions from a family member than from a classroom

teacher. This means that students do not focus on classes and take longer to learn
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each subject. Kent state university professor Andrew Lepp notes: "In classroom

courses, a physically present teacher and the presence of conscientious students help

enforce classroom policies and rules of behavior against multitasking."

Finally, and most import, is that not all students have a computer and internet

access to be able to connect to their classes. Although the government has given

computers to some students, there are still students without equipment and without

internet connection. This makes it very difficult for the student to enter their classes and

do their homework on time. According to preliminary data from a census conducted by

the Department of Education, 57% of students in the public education system have a

computer with internet access, while 71% only have internet access and 70% have a

computer.

Some parents do not support or agree to reopen their children's schools due to

what is currently happening with COVID-19. They are afraid that their children will not

be able to stay long in the classroom with their masks and may contract the virus.

However, they are likely to get it anywhere they go. For example, when they do their

shopping, they visit relatives, go for a walk with family and friends, among other things

that are at greater risk of contracting the virus.

In conclusion, reopening schools is not a risk for students, on the contrary, it

would be a great benefit if they can integrate into their studies normally. A place where

they can learn properly without distractions and where the teacher can work directly with

each of them. Each student learns in a different way and that is where teachers do their

job to help them.

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References:

1. Alicea, K. L. (2021, 11 enero). Expertos opinan sobre lo que debe ocurrir en

Puerto Rico para retomar las clases presenciales. El Nuevo DÃa.

https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/expertos-opinan-sobre-lo-que-

debe-ocurrir-en-puerto-rico-para-retomar-las-clases-presenciales/

2. Guijosa, C. (2019, 1 marzo). La distracción, un freno para la educación en línea.

Observatorio de Innovación Educativa. https://observatorio.tec.mx/edu-news/la-

distraccion-un-freno-en-la-educacion-online

3. Clavijo, S. H. (2020, 21 octubre). Las distracciones, uno de los mayores desafíos

al estudiar en línea. UMCentral.

https://umcentral.umanizales.edu.co/index.php/2020/10/21/las-distracciones-uno-

de-los-mayores-desafios-al-estudiar-en-linea/

4. Cabán, C. L. (2020, 3 septiembre). Educación reconoce brutal dificultad de

educación a distancia. NotiCel - La verdad como es - Noticias de Puerto Rico -

NOTICEL -. https://www.noticel.com/educacion/ahora/top-

stories/20200903/educacion-reconoce-brutal-dificultad-de-educacion-a-distancia/