The Most Important Thing I Teach Isn't Technology

How to fix a broken computer? Those are all great guesses. But here's the twist — the most important thing I teach has nothing to do with any device at all. Today, we're going to talk about empathy. And I'm going to show you how a trumpet, a 3D printer, and a busted school computer all taught me the exact same lesson.

Let's start at the very beginning. Years ago, before I was a technology teacher, I was working with young students who had autism. One day, I brought in my trumpet and played a game of musical chairs. Simple enough, right? I played 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,' and the kids moved around the room. Then... something happened that stopped everyone in their tracks. One child started singing the words. Out loud. And here's the really surprising part — the adults in that room had never heard that child speak before. Not once. A familiar song created an opening. A moment. A chance for that child to participate in a brand new way. That moment changed my life. I knew, right then, that I wanted to spend my career creating opportunities like that one.

Now... what does a trumpet have to do with technology? Everything, actually. Because the lesson wasn't about the trumpet. The lesson was about paying attention to what a person needs before you decide what to give them. That's empathy. And empathy, it turns out, is the foundation of everything I do in my classroom. Before I introduce any tool — any app, any gadget, any fancy piece of equipment — I ask one question first. Who is this for? And what problem does it solve for them? Here's why this matters. Let me give you an example. Imagine a student sitting in the back of the room, wearing a hoodie, not participating. You might think, 'That kid doesn't want to be here.' But wait — what if the room is freezing cold? What if the noise is overwhelming? What if that student just needs a quiet corner and a moment to breathe? Sometimes the most powerful thing a teacher can do isn't open a laptop. It's notice what's actually going on.

This episode is brought to you by Empathy — understanding people since forever. Free to use, works on every device, and never needs charging. Empathy: the original classroom technology.

Now let's look at how this plays out with real technology. One of my favorite projects involves 3D-printed hands. Through a group called the e-NABLE community, students as young as six, seven, and eight years old have designed and printed prosthetic hands — that means hands that help real people who are missing fingers or part of their arm. I mean, think about that for a second. Six-year-olds. Building something that changes another person's life. We even designed an Iron Man-style hand that ended up in a real museum exhibition. But here's the thing — the coolest part wasn't the design itself. It was the question we kept asking while building it. How will the person wearing this hand feel? Will it invite curiosity? Will it make them feel proud? That's not a technology question. That's an empathy question. The tool is only the beginning. The real work is thinking about who it's for.

Here's another example. During the pandemic, a lot of families had school devices at home — tablets, laptops — but those devices kept breaking down or losing connection. And a device that doesn't work might as well not exist. So I set up a troubleshooting station outside the school so families could come get help. I also made videos — step-by-step instructions that anyone could follow at home. And one of my favorite moments came from a grandmother who told me... even she could follow along. I loved that. Because it reminded me that knowing something is only useful if you can share it in a way that actually helps someone else. That's the whole point.