The energy can be felt before even entering the room. A pink and white flag with the words, “Long Live the Ham” posted above the doorway. Upon entering, abstract art and FBLA championships litter the walls. Music plays in the background, and students seem more relaxed.
A special class with unique content, Coding Teacher Joshua Cunningham teaches in an interactive way that develops all students’ understanding of the curriculum and keeps them engaged and excited. His humor, content, and style of teaching create an unparalleled classroom environment for all students.
Students in Joshua Cunningham’s coding class will learn how to code websites, apps, and games in various languages of code. He teaches Coding Foundations, where first year coding students learn HTML, CSS, Python, etc, AP Computer Science Programming, and AP Computer Science A, where students learn to code in Java Script.
Most kids nowadays are very familiar with the internet and how to use it, but have little to no experience with coding their own apps and games. This class allows students to learn an unfamiliar skill, and have fun while doing it. At the end of the year, students feel proud and accomplished with the progress they have made in coding. Even if students decide not to take a coding course again in the future, they will still have enjoyed their time in Cunningham’s class.
Cunningham’s approach to teaching involves interactive lessons where every student has access to their own desktop PC. He walks students through units, ensuring that they are prepared, before allowing them to express their creative freedom by coding their own custom apps, websites, and video games that they will be proud of. He takes pride in knowing that his students are seeing success in their coding and loves to see their progression from the start of the year to the end. He often uses his students’ past work as examples for new classes, demonstrating the pride he takes in his students’ work and accomplishments.
Students around campus agree. Senior and first year coding student Cruz Jaramillo says, “I like the way he teaches a lot. I never thought I would enjoy a coding class as much as I do,” Sophomore Aiden Armstrong, who is in his second year of coding at Sunnyslope, says, “I became really interested in the program last year thanks to [Josh] Cunningham, and decided to continue with it this year,” Others credited his helpful nature. Freshman John DeStefano explains, “He’s always there to help students who need it, and it’s the reason why I have seen so much success in coding this year.”
Josh Cunningham can be described in a single word. “Cool”. It is nearly impossible not to enjoy him as a teacher and a person, and the unique environment of his classroom.
Any eighth-grade student, whether or not they are interested in computer science, will find something they enjoy doing in his class, or at the very least, have a place where they can relax and do their work without the pressure felt in other classrooms.