For the past decade or more, computer and Internet access has become a necessity in the United States. We use them to work, perform daily functions, entertain ourselves, and learn. It’s evermore important that young people are exposed to this technology as early as possible. After all, if they are to rely on computers and Internet later in life, let’s make it readily available for use.
This is why I’m thankful for computer class in school. Nowadays, in most schools, children get the chance to experience what these resources have to offer as early as kindergarten. When I was growing up, the majority of things I learned about computers were through self-discovery. No one taught me about webpages, word processing software, or anything computer related until late middle school. If this is still occurring in the context of today’s children, then they will be at a severe disadvantage in life.
This hits close to home for me, because unfortunately, I teach in a low-income public school. Several of my students have no Internet or computer access at home, and their only time to learn about this technology is in school or during a visit to the local library. Because these children will be expected, in just a few years, to use computers for class assignments, apply for jobs or college, and just about everything else, I want them to have the skills and knowledge to do so efficiently.
I would like to say thank you to all of the computer and technology educators in our schools now. They are typically underappreciated but are truly contributing to the future of our kids and America.
E. M. Jones
Fifth Grade Teacher
Bancroft Elementary School