It takes a village to raise a programmer

As we near the middle of the term, the differences in students’ abilities, motivation, and aptitude become more pronounced. Some students are picking up speed, encouraged by their progress and driven by their love of learning. Others are facing the sometimes unpleasant reality that more work will be required to achieve the desired level of success.

Perhaps additional work is necessary because other courses have earlier consumed much of a student’s time. Perhaps the simple truth is that the student—at this point of her/his academic career—doesn’t yet have a natural “feel” for the material under study.

Regardless of the situation in which students find themselves, the die is not cast: there’s still plenty of time for every student to learn—and to enjoy learning—the material in her/his course.

But just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village (read: a community of learners) to raise a programmer. And that’s why I’m so grateful for the wonderful support that classmates offer one another in class, at home, and through our wiki and discussion forum.

With hard work on each student’s part, generous support from classmates, and instruction and guidance from the front of the lab, Lab 218 is a village raising fine programmers!