Thread by @jeffblankenburg

My daughter started 9th grade yesterday. Her first class of the day was Computer Science. A class of 19 boys and her.

The teacher thought she was lost, and asked which room she was looking for.

And we wonder why this industry has a diversity problem.

The teacher introduced the class to Scratch, something she has used at home since 3rd grade.

(They’ll be learning Python in 2nd quarter.)

This class is an elective that SHE picked. It is mostly upperclassmen. (Literally.) It is all male students, and a male teacher.

How can we change diversity when parents aren’t encouraging their daughters to try it?

When my daughter realizes she has 0 female peers, then what?

I am a strong believer that every job in the future will require the ability to write some code. It might be to create reports, or interact with a robot, but knowing how to write some simple code will be a big career differentiator.

Why aren’t parents encouraging their children (especially daughters) to embrace technology?

I think I’m too blinded by this wonderland of opportunity to really see or understand the stigma.

My college degree is in Psychology. It’s never too late for anyone.

Talking to students and teachers isn’t enough.

We need to find a way to get in front of parents. Elementary school parents.

We need to show them the opportunity, and show them that their involvement is the answer.

I think I need to write a new talk.

Have an awesome day.