How many teachers know how to code? With the push fore more STEM-focused education circulating throughout schools and universities across the nation, many K-12 students may be turning to coding for their destined careers. A concern is, however, is that teachers might not be able to teach them. 

In the next decade, there is an estimated increase in digital jobs within the next decade, which has caused schools to mandate coding classes for their students, according to a recent MarketPlace article/segment. But, the article asks, "where are the teachers?"

“We need to train students today to have the skills that we don’t have,” says Ravi Gupta, founder of RePublic Charter Schools in Nashville. “But we don’t have enough people who have the skills to teach it.”

Gupta told MarketPlace he decided to require coding in his schools, and when he looked for teachers he "basically found none."

“We all knew that our students needed the skills, but none of us knew how to tackle the challenge,” he said. “So we started teaching ourselves as we teach our students. Not because that’s the ideal situation, but because it is the only way.”

In response to lack of coding knowledge in K-12 education, famous coders, such as Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook) and Jack Dorsey (creator of Twitter) got together to create a video called, "What Most Schools Don't Teach" to encourage educators to teach coding in schools. MarketPlace.org emphasizes this video in its article. 

"Learning how to program didn't start off as learning all of computer science or trying to master this discipline or anything like that it just started off because i wanted to do this one simple thing: I wanted to make something fun for me and my sisters," said Zuckerberg. 

The short film also features Bill Gates, rapper Will.i.am, and other famous coders:

Read the full story. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor