Imagine if you grew up around people but never learned the language they spoke to each other. Wouldn’t it be absurd? Yet, technology powers almost everything in today’s world and most children have no idea about language it speaks.

This rapid growth of technology requires a rapid pace of education to follow it, but it is pretty clear that schools are far behind. They just take too long to revise their curriculum. In my current Grade 10 computer science course, CDs are considered hi-tech. 😐

This is why I decided to take matters into my own hands and teach students in my school about technology.

I’m a fifteen year old with a strong passion for all things tech, and I’ve been coding for almost 2 years. Here are some reasons why teaching every child how to code is important.

1. Technology is becoming increasingly present in our lives

This increasing trend of technology permeating through almost every aspect of our existence — transport, entertainment, productivity, and even education — doesn’t seem to be slowing down. In fact, because of Moore’s Law, it’s speeding up, exponentially.

We should at least have a basic understanding of the systems around us and how they work, and for that, children need to learn programming.

2. It empowers children to be more than consumers

Instead of playing video games and using apps, children can now gain the crucial skills required to make them. Should they find these skills interesting, they can refine them to take it up as a career.

Programming is amazing in the sense that you can create anything using technology that you already have access to — networks, utilities, even whole worlds. You name it.

It’s only by introducing kids to this opportunity that they will understand the possibilities.