Why I Teach Debugging Before Students Feel “Bad at Coding”

Every CSP teacher knows the moment. A student runs their program, a red error message appears, and their posture changes instantly. Shoulders tense. Eyes dart to the teacher. The unspoken thought is almost always the same: “I broke it.”

That moment is where many students decide whether coding is something they can do or something they should avoid. And it’s exactly why I teach debugging early—before students ever feel “bad at coding.”

Debugging should not feel like a consequence

In many classrooms, debugging only appears after something goes wrong. The message students hear—intentionally or not—is: “You made a mistake. Now fix it.”

For beginners, that framing is dangerous. They don’t yet see errors as information. They see them as proof that they don’t belong.

Instead, I introduce debugging as a normal step in the process. Not a punishment. Not a failure. Just what comes next when code runs.

Teach students how to read errors, not fear them

Python error messages look intimidating to beginners, but they actually give us a lot of help— if students know where to look.

I teach three simple rules for reading errors:

• The last line matters most. That’s where Python explains the problem.
• Line numbers are clues. They point you to where Python got confused.
• The error name is a category. It tells you what type of issue you’re dealing with.

Once students understand that error messages are trying to help them, the fear level drops almost immediately.

The most common beginner Python errors (and why they happen)

Beginners don’t make random mistakes. They make predictable ones. That’s good news—it means we can teach them what to expect.

• Missing quotes around text
• Misspelled variable names
• Missing colons after if statements
• Indentation errors

I frame these as the “usual suspects.” When something breaks, we check these first. This turns debugging into a checklist instead of a guessing game.

A repeatable debugging routine students can rely on

Beginners freeze when they don’t know what to do next. A simple routine gives them direction and confidence.

1. Read the error message.
2. Go to the line number.
3. Check syntax. (quotes, colons, parentheses)
4. Check spelling.
5. Run the code again.

This routine becomes muscle memory. Instead of raising a hand immediately, students try the steps—and often fix the issue themselves.

Normalize debugging by doing it publicly

One of the most powerful teaching moves you can make is debugging in front of students.

I intentionally write code that I know will fail. Then I talk through my thinking out loud:

• “Okay, let’s read the error.”
• “That line number is interesting.”
• “Ah, I forgot a colon—classic.”

This models confidence and shows students that errors are normal—even for teachers.

What I want students to believe about errors

• Errors mean I’m learning.
• Every programmer debugs.
• I have a process when code breaks.

When students believe those things, debugging stops being scary. It becomes just another problem to solve.