Major: Mathematics
What do you enjoy about working with kids?
Kids are naturally fascinated by the world around them. Giving them a brand new way to manipulate that world makes them go nuts!
My students’ enthusiasm for their projects affects me as my enthusiasm for programming affects them, and we get excited together! Kids are incredibly creative and ask amazing questions, such as, “How do I make the princesses have a dance battle?” and “Can I add gravity to my game?” and “I’ve programmed this bat to shoot lasers, now how do I make fifteen bats shoot lasers?”
I love seeing my students gain confidence as they not only learn computer science concepts, but problem solving and debugging strategies, too. They gradually stop asking me, “Why isn’t it working?” and start asking themselves, “Where is the problem?” and, “How do I fix it?”
I feel successful when my students learn new skills, apply those skills, build projects that they are genuinely excited about and proud to present, and gain a new appreciation for computer science.
What benefits do you see in teaching kids to program at a young age?
- Just as learning about math, physics, chemistry, and biology allows children to better understand their physical world, learning to program allows children to better understand their technological world. We are surrounded by software. Those who actively control that software, rather than passively use it, have a deeper understanding of how their environment works.
- Learning to program can be intimidating. A fun, carefree introduction to the basics of computer science makes coming back to the subject later in life way less intimidating.
- Learning to program makes you better at everything else: solving problems, thinking abstractly, explaining your thought process to others, learning from your mistakes, math, logic, reasoning, and even reading!
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