In this episode of CS4NE, hosts Guy Trainin and Kimberly Ingraham-Beck speak with Kristeen Shabram, a veteran middle school computer science teacher at Westside Middle School in Omaha. Kristeen shares her passion for engaging students by connecting CS to real-world careers and emphasizing foundational skills like problem solving and debugging. She highlights the importance of allowing students to experience failure and learn through hands-on, creative projects such as building robots and apps. Kristeen also discusses her leadership in the CS education community through CSTA and her dynamic Girls Who Code club, which adapts to students’ interests—from programming to building Bluetooth speakers. Her advice to aspiring CS teachers centers on finding strong professional communities and embracing the unique energy of middle school learners. The episode underscores the value of both in-school CS instruction and extracurricular opportunities to build excitement, inclusion, and confidence in computing.
