I've taught both online and in-person for five years, and my students' grades are actually higher in the virtual sessions. Yet I can't shake the feeling that something vital gets lost—the spontaneous debates, the quiet mentorship during office hours, the accountability of showing up to a physical room. Is online learning truly better, or are we just optimizing for test scores while sacrificing the social and emotional growth that happens in a classroom? The data on engagement and dropout rates paints a complicated picture, and I'm not sure we're asking the right questions before pushing everyone into Zoom lectures.