In this episode of Teaching Python, Kelly Schuster-Paredes and Julian Sequeira are joined by engineer and maker Todd Kurt to discuss what happens when code leaves the screen and starts interacting with the physical world. The conversation centers on CircuitPython, MicroPython, and physical computing, with a focus on how these tools are used in classrooms and maker projects.

Todd explains his background in engineering, web development, and open source hardware, including his work on LED devices and his recent focus on CircuitPython. He describes the differences between CircuitPython and MicroPython, emphasizing that CircuitPython is designed to feel closer to desktop Python and to support teaching, while MicroPython makes more efficiency-focused tradeoffs.

The discussion also covers the practical challenges of hardware-based learning. Todd and the hosts talk about bootloaders, UF2 files, board compatibility, library management, and common mistakes such as using the wrong cable, the wrong board file, or wiring power and ground incorrectly. They note that these issues can make hardware feel frustrating, especially for beginners and teachers preparing classroom kits.

Kelly and Julian share their classroom experiences, including using preloaded boards, NeoPixels, sensors, and simple student-designed projects. They discuss how hardware can support troubleshooting skills, file-system awareness, and persistence, and why students often engage more when they are building something tangible, such as a sensor-based wearable or a small robot.

The episode also includes Todd’s stories about early embedded work, including a costly lab mistake, and his involvement in hardware that contributed to space missions. He closes by describing a compact synthesizer project built around a Raspberry Pi Pico and by noting that he shares work through his website and online accounts.

Special Guest: Tod Kurt.

In this episode, Sean, Kelly, and Julian tackle a provocative question: is the traditional "Hello, World" first program dead? What was once a thrilling moment of agency — telling a computer to do something and watching it respond — now competes with AI assistants, voice interfaces, and tools that can build entire applications from a single prompt.

The conversation dives into the different types of learners Kelly encounters in her classroom: the students who want AI to do everything, the ones who light up when they catch AI writing unused functions, and the old-school coders who just want to write it themselves. Sean shares how he turned a massive org design challenge at work into a Python project with a SQLite database, proving that the best way to learn is still to find a real problem and solve it with code.

Kelly describes her fourth-quarter experiment to create a new "Hello, World" moment for her 8th graders using school-approved AI tools, while Julian raises the important question of whether the real challenge is just showing people that code can solve their problems in the first place. The trio also explores whether AI can strip away the administrative clutter in teaching to let educators focus on what matters: engagement, personalization, and good pedagogy.

The episode wraps with two pieces of news: the PyCon US Education Summit is confirmed for Thursday, May 14th, and Julian Sequeira is officially joining the show as a regular co-host — complete with a live, slightly fumbled first sign-off.

• Why "Hello, World" no longer delivers the same dopamine hit for new learners
• The three types of student responses to AI-assisted coding
• Using AI to write deterministic code vs. using generative AI for repetitive tasks
• Sean's Python + SQLite org design tool as a real-world "solve a problem with code" example
• Kelly's classroom experiments with AI-generated Python apps for 8th graders
• EarSketch and making music with Python as a reliable engagement tool
• Whether AI can remove administrative clutter and let teachers focus on pedagogy
• The concept of "desirable difficulty" in learning
• Bridging the knowledge gap: helping non-coders see code as a problem-solving option
• PyCon US Education Summit — May 14, 2026
• Julian Sequeira joining as a regular co-host

Kelly: Bringing two Pine Crest colleagues to PyCon US this year — Chris and Kayla, an aspiring data scientist who is excited to dive into Python and attend the Education Summit.

Julian: His 10-year-old son scored his first basketball basket after multiple seasons of showing up, practicing, and persisting — a nothing-but-net shot that had the entire gym erupting.

Sean: Used Claude to create a comprehensive, interactive study guide from his daughter's 11-page science PDF on water quality — complete with clickable concept maps, pH level visualizations, and chain-of-events diagrams that made 7th-grade science genuinely engaging.

• PyCon US Education Summit — Thursday, May 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh. Kelly is chairing the summit with 150–200 seats available. Proposals are open and encouraged.
• Julian Sequeira joins Teaching Python — After almost 8 years as a duo, Sean and Kelly have invited Julian to be a regular co-host, bringing fresh perspective, energy, and an Australian accent to the show.

• Teaching Python — Podcast website
• PyBites — Julian Sequeira's Python coaching platform
• EarSketch — Making music with Python (Georgia Tech)
• PyCon US 2026 — May 14–22, 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA
• Claude Code — AI coding assistant mentioned by Kelly

What does it really mean to be "techie"? Sean, Kelly, and guest Amelia Hough-Ross dig into the labels we put on ourselves and others — and why curiosity and persistence matter more than credentials. From imposter syndrome to productive struggle, this episode redefines what it means to be technical in a rapidly changing world.

• Amelia: Getting both kids to all their activities this week — taekwondo, Chinese language classes, and a piano competition where her oldest did very well
• Kelly: Running a series of well-attended trainings at school, including a Canva AI session that drew 60 attendees across two campuses, with new audiences (kindergarten and first grade teachers) showing up for the first time
• Sean: Finally getting fiber internet installed at his house after over a decade of waiting — a major upgrade from cable with latency dropping from 20-30ms to 3ms, at half the cost

• vBrownBag — Tech community show that Amelia is preparing to present at and Sean is scheduled for later in the year
• PyCon US 2025 — Pittsburgh, May 2025; Education Summit on Thursday, May 14
• LEGO Mindstorms — Referenced in Amelia's story about building a vending machine in 4th grade
• Architects of Intelligence — Book Kelly is currently reading (dense but informative, structured as short stories/interviews)
• How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz — Book Amelia is reading about mindset and how people approach difficult things
• Lars von Trier / Bjork / Catherine Deneuve film — Referenced in Amelia's story about visiting a film set in Denmark at age 18 (the film Dancer in the Dark, 2000)
• Chris Williams / vBrownBag — Mutual connection who introduced Sean and Amelia at AWS re:Invent

• PyCon US 2025 — Pittsburgh, PA. Education Summit is Thursday, May 14. Proposals still open at time of recording.
• Kelly will be attending PyCon with her youngest son, who will spend the weekend with family at Disneyland
• Sean will be supporting from home this year as his wife has a conflicting travel commitment

"It's hard to think outside of the box when you don't know what's inside of the box." — Kelly, quoting a conference in Tampa

"The difference between viewing yourself as technical and not technical is getting those successes... even just once, where something really cool happens that you weren't expecting to work." — Sean

"It's much harder to believe that someone has that greatness in them and help them achieve it... It's easy to say someone's hopeless. The harder part is figuring out how to support them to get to that next level." — Amelia

Special Guest: Amelia Hough-Ross.