I like the ability to easily export documents and send them to my students, as well as the freedom you get with a digital whiteboard––you can drag and manipulate individual pieces of your sketch as if they were magnets on the board in a traditional setting.
The Pencil definitely does not feel like using a regular pen, but it's rather similar to writing on a whiteboard and is rather comfortable to use (you get palm-blocking and everything). If you use the first-party Notes app, you also get automatic handwriting recognition and indexing in iPadOS 14.
Assuming they're currently accepting returns given the pandemic, Apple has a relatively reasonable return policy – 14 days for a full refund provided you repackage everything, so if you find you don't like it you can just return it.
Many high school students have access to CollegeBoard's AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A programs, which expose students to fundamentals of computing and Java respectively (Principles is more focused on the _concepts_ of programming–sequential instructions, working in teams, etc., while CS A is focused on writing working Java). I've worked with students who do not have access to these classes at their school as well, working with them through a self-study curriculum.
Occasionally, I'll also see middle school students (6-8 grade, age 11-14) who have (or whose parents have) expressed interest in learning to code. I usually work with these students in Scratch then Python, depending on their skill levels, as some schools are even teaching programming classes.
I also get some requests from elementary students, but generally decline those.