Girls Who Code

Lead Teaching Assistant

June - August 2023 • Myrtle Point, OR

What I liked

Meeting so many people with limited knowledge about coding and watching them make their own games in just 2 weeks

What I wish was different

i wish it wasn't remote

Advice

Don't be afraid to give feedback to other TAs and your instructor. It's a little awkward at first but good feedback to the teaching team really helps the overall classroom environment.

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Teaching Assistant

July 2023 • Eastchester, NY

What I liked

I enjoyed meeting more people with a passion for coding!

What I wish was different

I wish I had more ways to help the introverted girls come out of their shells.

Advice

It is extremely fun and informative for both the students and teachers. I highly recommond!

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2023 • New York City, NY

What I liked

The work culture was great and seeing the students’ eagerness to learn was great

What I wish was different

I wish a reviewed a little more before teaching the lessons.

Advice

Building community with the students is important and it creates a fun and positive classroom environment.

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2022 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Liked how organized the company was and the huge support system of other women. I was always able to ask for help if needed. The relationships teaching high school girls was also great.

What I wish was different

I wish the program were more constant. Since it was remote when I interned there the sessions would be two weeks with one set of girls, one week teacher prep, then two more weeks with a new set of girls and this would repeat. I wish it was structure more like the in person one was where you had the same class the entire summer.

Advice

Interview is about your personality and willingness to try new ways of approaching a problem as a teacher, but still letting your student take charge. It's a teaching job at the end of the day, not a software engineering position even though you are using those skills.

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Teaching Assistant

May - July 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Giving back to a program that gave me so much and being able to make connections with both students who I can mentor and with industry professionals

What I wish was different

More opportunity for overtime as they were very strict about allowing it

Advice

Creating a welcoming and encouraging classroom environment is more important than the lessons and code

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Teaching Assistant

June - July 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I liked that I could really empower and inspire girls and create the same environment I had when I was a participant.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2018 • Austin, TX

What I liked

I liked working with high school girls teaching them fundamentals of Computer Science

What I wish was different

The commute was long

Advice

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Computer science teacher

May - August 2019 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I liked teaching and meeting all of the students. Also, my coworkers were really fun. I learned the basics in some new languages too.

What I wish was different

I wish the host site was more classroom and high schooler friendly.

Advice

Really fun. Teach the students how to learn like a computer scientist, less so the actual code.

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Teachers assistant

July 2019 • New York City, NY

What I liked

The girls were great and It was great to motivate them to pursue computer science

What I wish was different

Girls Who Code as a company is getting increasingly disorganized given that their focus has shifted from quality to quantity and it is reflected on the summer immersion programs

Advice

You have to be able to do more than you are expected

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Teaching Assistant

May - August 2019 • Brooklyn Heights, NY

What I liked

I got to work with a really amazing group of girls, and our host company (UTC) was very supportive. The teaching plans were already set up for the teaching team and very detailed, but we were also given a pretty large amount of flexibility when it came to modifying them, which was really nice.

What I wish was different

I worked in Brooklyn but live in NJ, so the commute was about 2 hours one-way, and there was no travel stipend.

Advice

Teaching 20 girls who were only a few years younger than me could be very challenging at times, but it was ultimately a very positive experience.

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I really loved teaching the diverse amount of girls in a small classroom setting this summer. Even though they were a little discouraged in the beginning from learning hard, new material, it was so fulfilling to see them get more interested and stay committed to learning. In addition to the girls and teaching, I loved the space that we were provided. It was nice the technology companies are giving back to the community to allow underprivileged girls to have the same chance to get jobs in the tech industry. There were also field trips to other tech companies and a lot of guest speakers to give the girls a wide variety of jobs in the tech industry. I think this is a great summer opportunity to give back to something I am really passionate about.

What I wish was different

Nothing, everything was great.

Advice

One piece of advice I would give to this is just to be positive and proactive because it was a little different always being watched and a role model for teenage girls. There were a lot of different situations that you could end up in, so you need to be flexible and aware to make the best possible decision.

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Research Intern

June - August 2019 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Really relaxed work environment, almost all female office, super supportive and love their mission

What I wish was different

more technical skilled focused for CS majors

Advice

the application is long but worthwhile it was a great summer and i loved my time there. I got a return offer to stay during the semester and i accepted it. definitely a company that feels very tied to the mission, if you arent tied to the mission then it might not be for you.

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Teaching Assistant

May - August 2019 • Irvine, CA

What I liked

It was amazing. I liked working with high school kids who are highly motivated, and I also loved the idea of closing the gender gap in technology. My co-worker was awesome -- she taught me a lot of things, my students were great -- they became my very close friends and the office was wonderful with a lot of facilities to my convenience.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have had more opportunities to enhance my technical skills.

Advice

I don't understand the question. One lesson I learned from this experience? Surrounding yourself with people who genuinely support you and realize the value of your work is one of the key factors in boosting self-confidence, the ability to learn, and eventually, performance.

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Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)

June - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I loved the fact that I was making an impact and teaching students how to code. Became a source of inspiration for many high school girls which felt rewarding

What I wish was different

Advice

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Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)

July - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I loved getting to meet all these wonderful girls and watch them grow to love programming!

What I wish was different

I wish that I had more freedom to teach how I teach.

Advice

Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." What matters is that you help find the answer, even if you have to find it with the student.

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Teaching Assistant

May - August 2018 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

Girls Who Code inspires women to pursue CS and that is extremely important when the gender gap is so big. Working with them requires you to inspire high school women, but you will also be inspired by your students.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Great connections with host company. Most want to hire the GWC staff

What I wish was different

More contact with companies outside your host company

Advice

Make connections with your host company, get to know the students, learn the material well

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Program Operations Intern

June - August 2018 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

It was nice to work in a small organization where my opinions and perspectives were valued.

What I wish was different

More structure to my work during the internship.

Advice

Put yourself out there! Make meetings with people even if you don't have any mutual work. It's a great environment to grow your network.

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Teaching Assistant

June - August 2018 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

Teaching is a very difficult but rewarding profession. My favorite parts of the summer were watching my students gain more confidence, become more interested in computer science, and grow as independent young women. I also enjoyed working with the partner staff (AT&T) and GWC's site lead.

What I wish was different

Training did not prepare me very well for the job. Many instructors, including myself, have the computer science knowledge, but not necessarily a good teaching background. You'll have an easier time if you have some prior experience in teaching or working with youth.

Advice

Everyone's classroom is going to be different and the training that GWC provides will be helpful, but won't be a clear walk through for the summer program. You're going to be making hundreds of decisions everyday, and sometimes you'll feel overwhelmed. It's challenging, but fun, and you'll learn a lot about yourself and how to work with people from all sorts of backgrounds. Come to work with an open-mind and have fun!

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Teaching Assistant

July - August 2018 • New York City, NY

What I liked

I didn't expect to like teaching the girls in my classroom so much. I was able to hone my skills as a mentor and teacher, as well as fiddle with code more.