You can imagine the scenario, I was running a Scratch Day coding event,. I was thrilled to see such a great turnout, with kids who were genuinely excited to be there—some had even traveled quite far. During the break, Barry’s parents approached me and told me that this was the first event he had ever wanted to attend and the first time he had agreed to speak in front of people. They thanked me, saying they wished all schools offered coding because, for Barry, it had been life-changing. He had been bullied, was incredibly introverted, and coding was the only thing he truly loved. Through it, he had found friends and a sense of purpose. Hearing that hit close to home because, as a child, I had been in a similar situation—bullied not only by classmates but also dismissed by teachers. I still remember the day my head was smashed against the school building, and instead of receiving support, I was punished for “playing dangerous games.” Looking back, I’m pretty sure that programming and video games got me through my toughest days.
Coding creates a world where students can find both escape and empowerment. It’s a fully consistent space where effort leads to results, and persistence pays off. But teaching it comes with challenges. If the steps are too easy, students lose the joy of problem-solving; if they’re too hard, they feel overwhelmed. I’ve seen firsthand how coding brings students out of their shells. One of my students, who was incredibly shy, not only started talking to others but even led a coding team across the city. Another student, who wanted to support Rohingya refugees, realized that even basic computing skills could make a difference, so we started an after-school club to teach them. Coding also encourages real-world problem-solving—my students are now using Raspberry Pi CO2 sensors to predict air pollution levels in Kuala Lumpur, helping schools determine when outdoor activities should be postponed.
One of my favorite moments in teaching coding happened when I showed my code club a trailer for The Maze Runner. I thought it would be a fun way to introduce the concept of mazes, but one of my Year 9 students took it literally and designed a maze that changed every single time it was run. It was so complex that no one—not even teachers across Southeast Asia—could solve it. But that’s exactly what makes coding so exciting. It turns seemingly impossible challenges into opportunities to push beyond expectations. I couldn’t resist the challenge myself. That’s the magic of coding—it’s not just about writing lines of code, it’s about unlocking creativity, building resilience, and discovering that with the right mindset, even the toughest problems can be solved.
(Names of children mentioned have been changed for their privacy)