By Jaishri Shankar

Teach For America AmeriCorps member sets example that opens eyes and minds

As we mark Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 8-14) I’ve been thinking about my own experiences with the field, and those of my students. Though we’re a generation apart, up until now our experiences – or lack thereof – have been largely the same. This must change. Every student deserves early access to the computer science skills that will not only make them competitive in the jobs of the future, but will allow them to literally invent the future. 

I grew up fascinated by computers, but like so many students I never had the opportunity to explore how they worked. In the not-so-distant past, when the internet and smartphones were already mainstays in our lives, my schools didn’t offer computer science courses. Nine out of ten schools today still don’t.

And truth be told, I didn’t see many role models who looked like me – an Indian American female – in the field. Just 12 percent of computer science degrees are awarded to women, and students of color take the AP computer science exam at an alarmingly low rate.

“Computer science has given all of my students the ability to shine in a way that is meaningful to them. Success looks different for each student, but the feeling of satisfaction that accompanies a tangible final product is paralleled in each student as they leave our computer lab with a sense of accomplishment at the end of each session.” - Jaishri Shankar 

This lack of access to computer science educational opportunities, combined with a lack of visible women in the field, led me to one conclusion: computer science wasn’t for me. 

Now an AmeriCorps ’13 corps member through Teach For America, I refuse to let the same mindsets take hold in my students – because to deny my students the chance to grow up to be whatever they desire is unacceptable. It’s my job to equip them with the skills to succeed in whatever path they choose, and for those considering computer science, that path includes top-paying jobs growing at a rate two times the national average.

This fall, along with 11 other Teach For America—South Carolina corps members, I piloted Google CS First in my classroom. Created by the Google Computer Science Teaching Fellows, the program provides free materials, lessons, and strategies for teaching students starting in fourth grade. Their curricular resources mean I don’t have to reinvent the wheel in order to provide my students with tangible and engaging computer science experiences.

At the start of the year, computer science was a foreign concept to my students. They didn’t know what it was, nor do they know many in the field. They had no idea that computer science explains a lot of what they love, from cartoons to video games to digital designs. And as we introduced computer science into the classroom, they were a bit skeptical to take on such a lofty and complicated subject area. Now they can’t get enough of it, and I find myself leaning alongside my students – lesson by lesson filling in the gaps from my own grade school education.

Though Tyler groaned when we started CS First, he has practically become a guru. He helps other students with their work on Scratch and troubleshoots with students who are having difficulties. Carlos receives special services and is placed in a self-contained special education setting. He struggles with schoolwork at a general education level, but in CS First, he thrives and goes above and beyond with both understanding and application of the videos and modules. He helps other students in the class, answers questions on my behalf, and leads the group through the daily reflection and set-up at the beginning of the period.

Computer science has given all of my students the ability to shine in a way that is meaningful to them. Success looks different for each student, but the feeling of satisfaction that accompanies a tangible final product is paralleled in each student as they leave our computer lab with a sense of accomplishment at the end of each session. The same students who began the year dreading computer science are now the same ones asking if we can work on CS First every single day!

Engaging my students in early computer science opportunities is helping to change their conception of what is possible. Before, the professional field wouldn’t have been an option for them, simply because they didn’t know it existed. By providing early access and role models, we can help change this narrative. 

Jaishri Shankar teaches eighth grade science at Kingstree Middle School in Kingstree, SC. She is an AmeriCorps ’13 corps member through Teach For America an AmeriCorps program supported by the United Way Association of South Carolina.