In this powerful and thought-provoking talk, educator and Ignite Academy founder Danny Cao challenges the outdated mindsets driving much of today’s education system. Drawing on years of teaching experience and stories from students at top institutions like Tsinghua and Columbia, Danny reveals a painful truth: when education is reduced to rigid goals, rankings, and resume-padding, creativity dies.With wit and conviction, he explores why many classrooms discourage curiosity, why teachers fear questions, and how labels like “gifted” and “ordinary” damage children’s confidence and potential. He shares his belief that every child has their own version of genius, and that innovation cannot flourish in a system that rewards only conformity and performance.From critiques of how competitions are misused to reflections on the real purpose of learning, Danny invites us to reimagine education as a space not for comparison, but for discovery — one where asking questions matters more than having all the answers. Danny Cao Founder & CEO, Ignite Academy | Columbia University | Forbes Global Young LeaderDanny Cao is a visionary educator and the founder of Ignite Academy, where he brings Ivy League thinking into Chinese classrooms through engaging, logic-driven math instruction. A graduate of Columbia University, Danny has taught over 10,000 students from middle school to graduate level, combining humor, deep logic, and elite pedagogy to transform how students understand mathematics.With 8 years of teaching experience and a background as a Columbia University lecturer in math and statistics, Danny is especially skilled at both nurturing top performers and helping struggling students catch up. His students have gone on to win top national and international math competitions, and gain admission to leading institutions including MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Wharton, and China’s 985 universities.Danny was ranked #1 in Jiangsu TV’s “The Brain” national selection, a top 7 finalist in the Brain King Gala, and a recurring guest on Tencent Video’s “Battle to the Peak 3” and “Young Round Fish Island”. He also serves as a visiting lecturer at Peking University's Boya Education Think Tank and was selected as a 2023 China Education Role Model, Forbes Global Young Leader, and Asia-Pacific Emerging Leader (APEA).Through his acclaimed series “Zhuiguang Classroom” and 50+ public lectures, Danny is reshaping math education in China—one mind at a time. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx