No CS Background. Below Poverty Line. Now Learning Quantum ft. A.M. Bhatt | My EdTech Life 359

What happens when you take public high school students with zero computer science background — 87% of whom are below the federal poverty line — and put them in one of only two quantum computing programs for high schoolers in the entire nation?That's exactly what A.M. Bhatt and his nonprofit DAE are doing in Connecticut, and the results are challenging everything we think we know about education reform, student potential, and what it really means to prepare young people for the future.In this episode of My EdTech Life, host Dr. Alfonso Mendoza sits down with A.M. Bhatt to unpack why traditional education is stuck in an industrial-era mindset, why the push for "job readiness" might actually be more dangerous than the problem it's trying to solve, and why real education reform starts with identity formation — not content coverage.Bhatt shares how his students complete 24 college credits worth of computer science in just 10 months, why he left a successful career advising Fortune 500 executives to work with underserved youth, and what a simple bowl of soup has to do with building a real learning community.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest01:37 A.M. Bhatt's Journey in Education09:36 The State of Education: Challenges and Opportunities15:37 Identity Formation in Education22:01 Preparing Students for the Future: Players vs. Audience26:31 The Importance of Non-Technical Skills28:09 Real-World Hiring Insights32:13 Remedial Humaning in Education34:32 Infrastructure vs. Human Development39:10 Dropping Seeds of Knowledge43:46 Kryptonite in Education45:50 Messages for the FutureConnect with Dr. Fonz:🎙️ Website: https://www.myedtech.life/📲 Follow on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook & YouTubeThank you to our sponsors:📚 Book Creator: Use Code MYEDTECHLIFE for Premium Access!🤖Eduaide.AI🎓 Peel Back Education☕Comeback CoffeePeel Back Education exists to uncover, share, and amplify powerful, authentic stories from inside classrooms and beyond, helping educators, learners, and the wider community connect meaningfully with the people and ideas shaping education today. Authentic engagement, inclusion, and learning across the curriculum for ALL your students. Teachers love Book Creator.Support the show