Seen a familiar face around the Russell Building? That person might just be Mr. Tyler Cotton, former Algebra 2 and Advanced Algebra 2 teacher. This school year, as a result of personnel changes in the departments, Mr. Cotton made the switch from teaching math to computer science. 

Though it may seem unexpected, Mr. Cotton has loved computer science since high school. Having majored in business administration, his interest for the subject never went away, and ultimately, played a part in this department change. 

“When I was in high school and college I was already interested in computer science,” Cotton said.  “Majoring in business administration grew my interest in the topic”.

When Mr. Cotton saw the opportunity open up for teaching computer science, he chose to follow his passion and switch his classroom subject. Due to his prior knowledge of computer science, he believed this opportunity would be a good change of pace for him. 

“I thought it would be a natural transition to apply for,” Cotton said.  

Naturally, he’s experienced some ups and downs. Because he became a computer science teacher mid-year, he felt unprepared at times, but determined to follow his love for computer science, he put in work to catch up. 

For Cotton, computer science provides students a visual representation of real-world problems that can be discovered and fixed by students.

He also said that computer science helps students see “the fruits of their labor” in the problem-solving and tasks they must complete.  For cotton, computer science encourages students to stay focused and more involved in the work they complete.

Although he’s passionate about his new endeavors, Mr. Cotton said he would always go back to teaching just Math if asked. One thing he loved about his Math days was his old room, and that at times, he “feels out of place.

According to Cotton,  his classroom environment feels positive for both him and his students. For him, his students in computer science are more excited about coursework than his experience in algebra. 

And students who had Cotton for Algebra and now computer science agree.  Many said that computer science is more “engaging” and “captivating,” claiming they do more exciting projects and learn about real-world problems.

You might be wondering, what do his students do in computer science? In Mr. Cotton’s intro class they make games, websites, and apps for phones using different programs! In Mr. Cotton’s AP computer science A classes they build apps, do deep dive thinking, where they ask about how the internet works and how computers work. Lastly, Mr. Cotton’s last AP computer science principles class is very heavy on programming and building codes for anything a computer does. Later this year in Mr. Cotton’s AP computer science A class, they will be publishing their own apps they have created themselves.

Mr. Cotton has loved every minute of teaching since his switch from math. Though it’s a new path for Cotton, he hopes to continue his computer science journey for a long time.