Today is the first day of coding club! The room smells like new computers and fresh printer paper. Mrs. Johnson greets everyone with a big smile and hands out colorful sticky notes. Each one has a name on it—mine says “Alice.” I’m here to learn how to make things move on the screen.

I sit at my desk, which is just right for me—neither too big nor too small. The monitor is set up high so I can see everything easily. Mrs. Johnson starts teaching us about loops and variables. It feels like learning a new language, but instead of speaking it, we type out instructions for the computer.

I type quickly, trying to keep up with what she’s saying. “For loop,” “variable x equals 10.” I get confused when she mentions something called an array, but I nod my head along anyway because everyone else seems to understand.

After a while, it starts making sense. The code I write changes the shape on the screen from one color to another. It’s slow going, but there’s something thrilling about watching my creation react to the commands I give it.

When class ends, Mrs. Johnson tells us to come back next week with our own ideas. She says we can make anything we want move or change colors. I go home feeling excited and a little tired, ready to try again tomorrow.