Computer science teacher Nicholas Marsh educates students on how to navigate around technology in current society. He explains that computer science is specified in “a general category related to all things that you can use computers to do. Some examples are social media management and marketing, programming, website design, game development, photo or video editing, data science, business, 3d printing and modeling,” Marsh said.
He has been teaching for 11 years, and his favorite age to teach is high school students because he believes that “high school students have a better grasp on who they are as a person, so you get to experience more of their character, whereas middle schoolers are more reserved,” he explains.
One class that he teaches is a required class called Contemporary Computing. Contemporary Computing is a class that educates students on the many fields of computer science, and it is a very important class for students to take. “I think there are a lot of students out there, who, given the choice, might not take this class. However, with the prevalence of technology in our society now, it is important for students to be exposed to what is out there. Also, If they never take computer science they might not discover something that they are passionate about,” Marsh said.
He has always wanted to be a teacher, and he even states that teaching is his purpose in life. How does one define a purpose? Marsh defines a purpose as “something that you feel called to and something that gives you fulfillment. I absolutely think that teaching is my purpose. I would say that there are lots of things that you can do with your life, out of all of these things you can divide them into two categories: things that drain your energy and things that give you energy. Teaching gives me energy.”
However, although he loves teaching, it still comes with many challenges. He says that the hardest thing about teaching is when he cares more than a student does: “Because my purpose, the thing that I am called to do and the thing that gives me energy, is to provide students with opportunities to grow and to discover things that they like, to expand their minds, and I feel very strongly about that. And when a student doesn’t, it is heartbreaking to me because they are missing out on opportunities.” Marsh plans on being a teacher for as long as he can, for it is his purpose, and he will continue to fulfill it.
