Stay positive and regularly reassure students that you have confidence in their abilities.

  • Sometimes the path to becoming a computer scientist is tough. For you it might have involved facing discrimination and a lot of hard work! Make sure to focus on the reasons that you stuck with CS rather than sharing the challenges you overcame. Any stories that make you seem superhuman can make success in CS seem unattainable. For young students there is no need to describe challenges you’ve faced.
    • Example: "My favorite part of my job is..."
  • See this and related tips as a Tip Sheet: http://csteachingtips.org/Tips-for-classroom-volunteers

More about this tip

External Source

Interview with John Dougherty