Three years into teaching online, I've seen smart kids thrive and others quietly disengage, and it's made me doubt the core promise of virtual classrooms. A 2023 OECD report showed remote learning widened achievement gaps by up to 15% for younger students, yet my district is still pushing hybrid models as the future. Can we honestly claim online education prepares students equally when the digital divide and home environment dictate outcomes more than curriculum quality? I think we're fooling ourselves if we say yes, but maybe the flexibility is worth the trade-off for some families.