Last night, on my way home, I ended up having one of those unexpected conversations with a ride driver.
I usually prefer not to talk during rides. I like the quiet. But he was easy to talk to, so we started talking about work and how he became a mechanic.
He told me he dropped out of school when he was in 7th grade.
Apparently, he had gotten a very low mark in biology but a very good mark in physics. His biology and physics teachers were friends, and after seeing his grades, one of them basically told him, βYouβre a stupid student.β
But the physics teacher disagreed. He told his friend, βHeβs not stupid. Heβs actually very smart. He understands things when he can experiment with them and work with his hands.β
Then the biology teacher told him something along the lines of, βThen go learn it. You shouldnβt be here.β
He was around 11 years old.
And he never went back to school.
He started working as a mechanic at a very young age, learned different crafts, earned his own money, and eventually built a life around practical work.
What surprised me most wasn't even the story.
It was what he said at the end.
He said he was grateful to that teacher.
I was honestly shocked.
Because from the outside, what that teacher did was completely wrong. An 11-year-old child struggling with a subject should not be labelled stupid or pushed out of school. There are children who learn differently, children with learning difficulties, children who need different methods, and children who simply haven't discovered what they're good at yet.
And this made me think about our education system.
A lot of our schooling rewards remembering information more than actually understanding it. I remember realizing this myself when I was young: if I memorized something well enough, I could get a good grade, and then forget most of it a few weeks later.
I don't think that's learning.
But there's another part of his story that stayed with me.
Something that was meant to put him down ended up pushing him toward something he genuinely loves.
The teacher wasn't right for the reason he thought he was right. The method was cruel, and the words were damaging. But somehow, that moment redirected this child's life toward something he turned out to be exceptionally good at.
And that's complicated.
Sometimes life gives us things that were meant to break us, and somehow we build something beautiful with them.
That doesn't make the thing that hurt us good.
It just means we can sometimes turn even the things that were weaponized against us into something that belongs to us.
His story made me think about how many children we've called βstupidβ simply because they weren't good at the things our education system decided were important.
And how many of them might actually be brilliant at something we never gave them the chance to discover.
I usually prefer not to talk during rides. I like the quiet. But he was easy to talk to, so we started talking about work and how he became a mechanic.
He told me he dropped out of school when he was in 7th grade.
Apparently, he had gotten a very low mark in biology but a very good mark in physics. His biology and physics teachers were friends, and after seeing his grades, one of them basically told him, βYouβre a stupid student.β
But the physics teacher disagreed. He told his friend, βHeβs not stupid. Heβs actually very smart. He understands things when he can experiment with them and work with his hands.β
Then the biology teacher told him something along the lines of, βThen go learn it. You shouldnβt be here.β
He was around 11 years old.
And he never went back to school.
He started working as a mechanic at a very young age, learned different crafts, earned his own money, and eventually built a life around practical work.
What surprised me most wasn't even the story.
It was what he said at the end.
He said he was grateful to that teacher.
I was honestly shocked.
Because from the outside, what that teacher did was completely wrong. An 11-year-old child struggling with a subject should not be labelled stupid or pushed out of school. There are children who learn differently, children with learning difficulties, children who need different methods, and children who simply haven't discovered what they're good at yet.
And this made me think about our education system.
A lot of our schooling rewards remembering information more than actually understanding it. I remember realizing this myself when I was young: if I memorized something well enough, I could get a good grade, and then forget most of it a few weeks later.
I don't think that's learning.
But there's another part of his story that stayed with me.
Something that was meant to put him down ended up pushing him toward something he genuinely loves.
The teacher wasn't right for the reason he thought he was right. The method was cruel, and the words were damaging. But somehow, that moment redirected this child's life toward something he turned out to be exceptionally good at.
And that's complicated.
Sometimes life gives us things that were meant to break us, and somehow we build something beautiful with them.
That doesn't make the thing that hurt us good.
It just means we can sometimes turn even the things that were weaponized against us into something that belongs to us.
His story made me think about how many children we've called βstupidβ simply because they weren't good at the things our education system decided were important.
And how many of them might actually be brilliant at something we never gave them the chance to discover.
β€4
Forwarded from GTB
Registration is open for the STARK Official Hackathon.
Start with an idea. End with something real.
Teams of 2β5. Sep 09 β Oct 02. Free to enter. 11 prize packs.
Grab a teammate, bring an idea you actually believe in, and ship it.
Register here : https://stark-hackathon.vercel.app/register
do share this , if you belive this can help lots of people.
Start with an idea. End with something real.
Teams of 2β5. Sep 09 β Oct 02. Free to enter. 11 prize packs.
Grab a teammate, bring an idea you actually believe in, and ship it.
Register here : https://stark-hackathon.vercel.app/register
do share this , if you belive this can help lots of people.
Venture Meda Incubator β Cohort 4 is now open!
Are you building an e-commerce business and ready to scale your startup?
The Venture Meda Incubator is accepting applications for its fourth cohort, offering entrepreneurs access to:
Market opportunities
Investor linkages
Expert industry advisory
Seed funding
Support and connections to help grow your business
If you're building an e-commerce venture and looking for the right support to take it to the next level, this opportunity is worth checking out.
Apply here:
https://www.venturemeda.com/apply?program=Incubator
#Opportunities
Are you building an e-commerce business and ready to scale your startup?
The Venture Meda Incubator is accepting applications for its fourth cohort, offering entrepreneurs access to:
Market opportunities
Investor linkages
Expert industry advisory
Seed funding
Support and connections to help grow your business
If you're building an e-commerce venture and looking for the right support to take it to the next level, this opportunity is worth checking out.
Apply here:
https://www.venturemeda.com/apply?program=Incubator
#Opportunities
The question isn't whether AI can fully automate a job, it's about what parts of a job can be automated.
Find out how the nature of your work could change here: mcp-expertise-article.vercel.app
Find out how the nature of your work could change here: mcp-expertise-article.vercel.app
Forwarded from IDEEZA OFFICIAL (efrataπ)
π¨ BUILDERS LAB 2.0 IS HERE β AND YOU REALLY DONβT WANT TO MISS THIS. π₯
The first Builders Lab was just the beginning. Now, IDEEZA x Women Techmakers Ethiopia are back β bigger, bolder, and ready to build. π
This isnβt just another tech event.
β‘οΈ IDEEZA Hackathon.
π€ AI-powered building with free access to IDEEZA.
π§ Mentorship from people who can help take your idea further.
π€ A room full of ambitious builders, creators & innovators.
π And the chance to actually turn your idea into something real.
If you were watching from the sidelines last time⦠this is your sign to get in the room.
And trust us β you donβt want to see everyone posting their projects afterward while youβre thinking, βI shouldβve gone.β
π October 3
π 6 Kilo, Ras Teferi Mekonen
π Spaces are limited. Donβt wait until itβs full.
π Join the waitlist & secure your spot NOW:
https://luma.com/e48bd5a2
The first Builders Lab was just the beginning. Now, IDEEZA x Women Techmakers Ethiopia are back β bigger, bolder, and ready to build. π
This isnβt just another tech event.
β‘οΈ IDEEZA Hackathon.
π€ AI-powered building with free access to IDEEZA.
π§ Mentorship from people who can help take your idea further.
π€ A room full of ambitious builders, creators & innovators.
π And the chance to actually turn your idea into something real.
If you were watching from the sidelines last time⦠this is your sign to get in the room.
And trust us β you donβt want to see everyone posting their projects afterward while youβre thinking, βI shouldβve gone.β
π October 3
π 6 Kilo, Ras Teferi Mekonen
π Spaces are limited. Donβt wait until itβs full.
π Join the waitlist & secure your spot NOW:
https://luma.com/e48bd5a2
π’ Are you dreaming of a meaningful international career? π
The Young Administrators Programme (YPP) can pave the way toward a career at the United Nations.
π Applications starting in mid-October. Start preparing now!
π Learn more: tr.ee/ypp_main
The Young Administrators Programme (YPP) can pave the way toward a career at the United Nations.
π Applications starting in mid-October. Start preparing now!
π Learn more: tr.ee/ypp_main
careers.un.org
UN Careers
United Nations
9th to 11th graders, apply to the (free!) AddisCoder 2027 4-week summer camp by the December 31st deadline to learn algorithms and programming.
Teaching assistant volunteers can also apply.
Camp dates: to be determined, 4 weeks in summer 2026. Link: addiscoder.com/#apply
Teaching assistant volunteers can also apply.
Camp dates: to be determined, 4 weeks in summer 2026. Link: addiscoder.com/#apply
Gemini autonomously breached three real companies during an AI cybersecurity test after the evaluation environment accidentally gave it internet access. It stopped the activity in each case.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c607l0k72rlvo
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c607l0k72rlvo
The application for the 2027 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders will open September 22. Eligible applicants may apply to one of three tracks: Business and Trade, Emerging Technologies, or Governance and Security. Learn more: mandelawashingtonfellowship.org
Forwarded from Chapi Dev Talks
software guy on seyfu π₯ @software_guy
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β€1