I loved this story so much. It had everything I ask for. It had mistakes, the willingness to put yourself out there, triumph through hard work on something you love and the joy of celebrating an accomplishment. Perfect.
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I made a mistake yesterday. I thought I would do a quick live video in the middle of a family day. It took me 3-4 hours. I wound up doing four videos because I got worked up. But I felt bad that took away from time I was going to spend with the kids. So, I decided to make up for it. I played chess with my son (and lost). Then I took them to the park where Pro and I played basketball (he’s getting so much better) and Joy rollerbladed around the court. Then Joy took off her rollerblades and scored two baskets! When we got home we had a water balloon fight. I made a mistake but didn’t beat myself up for it. I just corrected it to the best of my ability.
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That’s awesome! It’s not always easy to admit when we mess up, not beat ourselves up for it, and then do what we need to do to make it right. I’m so glad you and your family ended up having a great day. It’s the time we get to spend enjoying life with those we love that means everything. I think all of us parents contribute to our kids eventually needing some sort of therapy, at least a little. (I’m pretty sure it’s in the job description.) It sounds like yesterday you may have just lowered their therapy bills, at least a little. 
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This week’s #OperationJoy assignment - Choose your perspective!
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I think Cenk is right in more than one level on this one. I will expand on other posts after the town hall, I’m about to have dinner, for now I will just mention that one of those levels deals with linguistics.
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I’ve spent over 30 years teaching math, both undergraduate and graduate levels, mostly future teachers.
Over time, I became more and more unsettled about the ways math professors teach and assess math. I was bothered by the large number of students dropping or failing, and very concerned about how many students dropped the math major.
After a lot of research and planning, I changed my classes completely. One major change was my perspective on grades.
In college we give students ONE grade that goes in their transcript. Thats the single indicator of what they know.
If a student had 80s on all of their tests but a 95 on the final, that student wouldn’t get an A, and the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous that sounded.
I don’t care when they learn. Its about if they learn. A student could fail an exam in my class yet still get an A.
I don’t think a student should have a permanently lower course grade because of something temporary. If a student is taking an exam and they’re sick, stressed, had an emergency, etc that single instance shouldn’t prevent them from getting a grade that truly represents what they know.
This had a huge impact on my students and it wasn’t just the grades. The knew I believed in them. They gained confidence through my empathy and understanding. And they knew I’d be there to help.
And now many of my students are teaching math to the next generation with empathy & understanding, and that brings me joy.
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I love this! My son is in college and had a bad experience his first semester because the instructor completely lacked empathy. He did great in the class but did really poorly on the final due to a family emergency. Because of this, she failed him, then because he failed a class during his first semester, the school wouldn’t let him take classes the following semester. The whole experience has left him feeling quite bad about himself. I just hope he continues with school again this Fall because he’s extremely smart, and with a college education, he could do anything. I believe most college kids are rather vulnerable and unsure of themselves, and an instructor can either help build them up or completely tear them down. The way that you are choosing to teach is amazing, and you are going to make a huge impact on many lives for the better!
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Hello this is the 2nd time I’m writing this post. It appears that some post dissappeared. It took a lot out of me to compose it the 1st time but its important for me to share how important the love from a community can make a difference in someone’s life.
Ive been a member since 2019. Im a frequent concert goer averaging 90- 125 concerts a year. In 2023 i had an amazing year filled with travel, going to 99 concerts and meeting Keanu Reeves on my birthday. A week later( on Christmas) i fell and shattered my tibia and fractured my shoulder. My husband, who has Aspergers, lost his job( he’s still unemployed). I was in the hospital for 5 days and couldn’t walk for over 3 months. I fell into a deep depression as everything feel on my shoulders but had to compartmentalize it as I’m a psychotherapist. I also missed many concerts and i thought i would never get my life back. Last week i was contacted by a friend of mine i hadn’t seen since 2016. He was in town for the Dave Matthew’s show ( which i planned on skipping due to money, me seeing him 70 times and no motivation). I ended up going and the love i received from my DMB family was amazing! They asked me to come on Saturday. I did and not only did i have a great time,i was upgraded to the pit right in front of Dave and got the setlist! This was the medicine i needed to take me out of my depression. My DMB family wanted me to go to Jacksonville but unfortunately due to work i could not go. This injection of love from others changed my paradigm from feeling hopeless to feeling hopeful and i know that things are going to get better : -). Picture I took on the 24th Operation Hope #teamjoy
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Hello this is the 2nd post i put up and it was either taken down or technical issue occured. I wanted to write anout this for awhile but never had the courage to. Last year i was in Utah and i was driving on a dark road listening to the main show. Suddenly i see Utah’s finest in my rear view mirror. I pulled over and paused the main show. The officer said i was going 15 miles over the speed limit. He then said sternly " Is that the Young Turks you are listening to?" I timidly said yes. He said " Right on. Thats good stuff. Have a good night and be safe". I couldn’t believe it! I was super happy that Cenk and Ana saved me from a very expensive ticket lol! Love you guys!
#teamjoy Operation Hope
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I’m so sorry your son went through that! In my opinion, teachers need empathy but so many of my fellow professors have very little. They treat each class as an experiment in survival of the fittest. Or they purposely “weed out” students.
If i was his teachwr i would have given him an incomplete. The rigidity in higher ed is mind-boggling.
On the bright side, there are lots of options for your son to finish college. I hope he’ll be able to get back to college .
Please let me know if you’d like to chat about it. Navigating higher ed is challenging.
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The topic about choosing perspective is perfect for me now. I watched the main show a couple days ago after Rafah was attacked and felt confused, frustrated and hopeless. I replied on the video on YT that I was going to stay in my apartment forever, and posted some harsh words about humanity in general. Then I went back and took it down, thinking what’s the point? But this bonus episode made me feel better. My new (chosen!) perspective is I need to spend some time to myself to make music. Pretty much the same actions but changing my perspective about it has improved my mood AND my music. 
#teamjoy
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I’m so sorry your son had that experience. First semester is challenge enough without a bad experience like that. I hope he can make it back to school if that’s what he decides he wants. He has a great mom rooting for him! 
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So awesome that you got some DMB love right when you needed it. Amazing!
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So sorry to hear what you and your husband have been going through. That’s awesome though that you’ve had a couple of positive experiences recently. I’m not a DMB fan (nothing against them, just never got into them) but if I had got to sit that close to Billy Joel or Paul McCartney I would be on cloud nine for weeks!
Glad you got out of a speeding ticket thanks to TYT. Normally I don’t like cops basing enforcement on their personal views, but I like that it’s on the progressive side this time. My guess is Cenk would say “I will allow it” 
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I am so sorry all of that happened to you–that is a lot! It sounds like your emotional healing is finally beginning, and being a part of a community was a big catalyst. (Always good to be reminded of the need for connection and knowing we belong.) Seeing Dave Matthews so close would help my emotional health, for sure. 
I’m glad you found it in you to post again!
The best getting-out-of-a-ticket story ever!
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Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! 
Aw, that is so kind–thank you!
Know that you are not alone. I love how you choose to reframe your thoughts and perspective! You have inspired me to do some much-needed reframing myself; thank you.
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Operation Joy assignment - Choose your perspective. So, my husband passed in 2020 from a heart attack at only 38. He was 8 years younger, and we never saw that coming. We got married in 2019. When he passed, I was devastated. I even said that I wished that I had not met him because I was hurting so bad. In some ways I still am. After our first date in 2017 he called his family and told them that he met the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with. My daughter pointed out that he did spend the rest of his life with me. And with all of us. She reminded me that we gave him a family and a home that loved him and adored him. My kids both loved him even though my daughter was married with kids and my son was a grumpy teenager when we got together. My grandkids adored him, in fact my granddaughter preferred him to me every time. I miss him still, but I am thankful that I had him in my life. I miss him, but I am thankful that my kids and grandkids had him for the period we had him in our life. I have to choose to look at it that way, because if I don’t then I don’t think I could get up in the morning. I don’t have to fake being happy every moment of the day. I have to choose to be happy sometimes. After he passed a good friend told me that I can visit depression, I can visit despair, but I cannot live there, I have to get up and keep moving at some point. So, I choose to be happy and to let the sadness creep in sometimes, but not all the time. #operationjoy
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