22 january 2022
ok so because of timezones today's class will be a new feels entry, hoorayy
today we talked about dictionaries:
- creating dictionaries
- dictionaries vs. lists
- adding new entries on a dictionary
- when to use dictionaries (databases)
- some other cool details
we finished the theoretical portion of the class pretty quickly: in less than an hour and a half, our new record
but we got into some practical examples, and that together with a load of questions from our students got us busy for the rest of the class
in the end we introduced them to the final project they'll have to develop, and talked a little bit about it
what I really really liked about today's class was that, although it was full of new things to learn and sometimes hard to understand, the students really got engaged in the project!
two of them talked about ideas they had for personal projects and would like to implement, with our help of course:
- one of them wanted to know what would be a good way to get info from various workers from the company he works at, so they could schedule vacation easily
- the other one wanted to create a GUI for a similar purpose, and started texting me with directions to which libraries to use
also one student was talking about how they started to use XOR in their programs in such creative implementations, with such a big smile on their face. it was lovely.
you see, I still can't call myself a teacher as of now. not because of shame, for it is one of the most honorable professions imo; but because I've been teaching for such little time that it just doesn't feel right to bear such a title. but apart from that, after answering the students' questions, I feel so rewarded! simply giving directions to a student and encouraging them to develop their own scripts and programs gives me such joy.
it also helps me with learning new things, since I'm forced to get out of my comfort zone to try to help my students with their needs
in summary, giving classes is so fun :)