Imagine going from his bullied and undersold background to being one of the biggest voices in the biggest card game on the planet. This is inspiring. Just a little kindness can completely change someone’s life. Try to be that girl in high school that created The Professor.

“We are drawn to magic because it IS control” Ah, a fellow blue player.

"In magic the gathering, I can tell people "No."... I mean yeah but that's just because you run blue professor.

Damnit, whoever's chopping all these onions needs to stop.

I feel ya Professor. I am 15 years old, nearly no friends in any of my classes. I am very shy, bullied so much I had to move schools. Only finding comfort in magic and other fantasy related stuff. I started doing live action roleplay, and since I was new, everyone kinda tried to ignore me. Or at least most of them did. I walked around a bit, and a younger boy came up to me and asked if I wanted to play magic with him. And said yes. A few days later, I showed up at his house, only to see three other kids sitting at the kitchen table. I finally felt comfort around others. I can't even remember the format, but that doesn't matter, I had fun. And if I never started to go to Live action role plays, I would never have been happy with myself.

You should write your biography Professor. It would inspire so many people.

Very powerful video, I was a lot like you when I was in school. I too had to deal with being bullied, to the point that my mom hired someone to pick me up from school and he made me ride in the back of his truck and would regularly slam on his brakes or accelerate to make me slide around in the bed of his truck. It finally stopped when he took off when I was climbing into the bed of his truck and I fell out hitting my head and getting a concussion. To add insult to injury, instead of helping me, the students gathered in front of the school cheered and laughed as I walked home dragging my book bag and my shirt hanging in tatters. I also received the same advice, "toughen up", "confront the bully and they'll let you alone", "there's got to be a reason that they're picking on you", etc. The bullying wasn't just physical, I was a sucker for the "fake girlfriend" scam that was massively popular in my school. Suffice it to say, by the time I graduated high school, I was extremely introverted and I couldn't trust anyone. While my classmates were going on to college and their lives, I went to Job Corps. It was there that I was first exposed to my escape, Dungeons and Dragons, and Magic the Gathering. It was there that I finally began to come out of my shell and begin to socialize with others. There are times though, when I tend to fall back on my previously antisocial ways. And Magic always brings me back. Thank you professor, thank you for sharing this with us.

Professor I'm so sorry to hear about your childhood. But at least you found happiness in the end.

I understood why the Professor put so much emphasis on needing quality starter products, but I see now that it's a lot more personal. Really puts things in perspective.

"You're probably interesting, come play Magic with us." I love that.

Since you said you have read alot of fantasy novels, then I think this quote is apt and helpful: "Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage." J.R.R Tolkien. I love this quote, and your story about the stranger reminded me of this.

Amazing life story, truly inspirational. How a "simple" act of kindness and a card game changes everything. Bless that person that invited you to play and everyone that gives a change to the person next door.

You don’t know just how much these stories help people. I know that I saw quite a bit of myself in those situations, and it really helps me relate to you and how you think. Thanks for sharing Professor. I know it’s tough to share those memories of loneliness and unfairness, so good job.

it's years later where I stopped blaming the bullies as much and started blaming the teachers who wouldn't do their effing jobs. I remember rather than do something about the bullies they actually had me stay in the library at lunch hour. honestly magic is also probably what helped me through high school. something to look forward too each week.

I guess it's time for my sappy story. I'm a sophomore in high school. I belong to a middle class family where we all love each other. I go to a private school. I have friends. But I don't have the optimal life. Far from it. And it all started at my birth. I was born on June 12, 2001. I was due in late August. Despite this, I was quite large. But the problem lies in the inside. Not only did my lung collapse, thankfully fixed, but the tubes leading from my kidneys to my bladder were too tight. This caused urine to push back up into my kidneys, making them explode, blowing large holes in them. I was in the NICU for almost two months, where I was constantly in an incubator, peeing through a hole below my stomach where the scar can still be seen. I was on blood transfusions. All of this while my mother couldn't hold me for weeks. I also had a bladder twice as thick, which I will get to later. After that, I was released and lived out my happy infant life until I was two. That's when the first major problem of two arose: kidney stones. My parents were informed that I was a kidney stone former. I produce tiny stones of sodium and calcium that build up, eventually needing to be passed through by urination, tearing up my urethra, causing bleeding and extreme pain that people have said is comparable to kidney stones. This also birthed my fear of needles, needing to get bloodwork almost every year, a fear that I am just now starting to face. But other than peeing my pants until first grade due to my bladder not being able to signal when I had to go, I was a happy go lucky kid. This all changed in the summer before third grade. This is what has defined my life for almost 8 years. During that summer, had a lot of strep throat. I had it about three or four times before it finally stopping. If I had had it one more time, we would've taken my tonsils out. I wish we had. After that, I thought my tonsils were "cleaning out", producing small, white balls of gunk every once and a while. When this happened, I began to start showing visible ticks, anxiety, and stress. My mom said it was like seeing her child change before her eyes. This, combined with bullying from a new student, forced me to leave school for the last three months of fourth grade, barely making the qualifications to not have to take the End Of Grade standardized tests. We went to therapists to test for Asperger's syndrome, but to no avail. At my new school that I have stayed at since, I started having panic attacks. I cried on the second day of school for not getting my planner signed. I would get so nervous, I thought I would vomit. I was sent home early several times. And while medication made the process easier, it made my body dependent on my meds to this day, causing extreme stress and anxiety due to withdrawal. It got slightly better, but I was never the same. I made friends, but was also the weird nerd who got bullied. It was never physical, but depression became a part of my life. I was never suicidal, and never have been, but I've spent many a night crying out to God to take me off this earth, wishing that I was never born. And while my best friend was becoming a jerk, it led to inactivity, causing my largest period of weight gain, 40 pounds in three months. I worsened as time went on and puberty hit, with 9th grade becoming a confusing time of social anxiety and raging hormones. I was at my worst, especially when I broke my iPod touch, my main source of comfort and escape, bawling on the floor for an hour. Not to mention actual attraction to the opposite sex, but knowing that I'd never even have a chance. I was giving up hope at ever finding out what was wrong with me. Then, at church one day, one of my mom's friends mentioned something that her daughter had. It sounded exactly like what I had. After going to a neurologist in DC and getting some testing, we found out what I had: PANDAS. PANDAS stands for Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections. It's where the strep passes the blood-brain barrier, infecting the brain, causing the immune system to attack it. This was why I had anxiety, ticks, etc. But we also found out that those white gunk balls that would form around my tonsils were tonsil stones, bunches of white blood cells that clear out when there's infection. This means I've been infected for almost eight years. But there is a cure. And the first step was taking out my tonsils, a procedure I had about three weeks ago. Now all there is is to get an all day IV to kill the strep for good. So why do I tell you this? For the longest time, I've been obsessed with videogames, holing up in my room all day. My parents wanted me to do something else, but nothing interested me. Not until I found Magic: The Gathering. I had always heard of it, but when I looked into it, I had to play. I was fascinated by each color having its own playstyle and philosophy. #BlueBois4Lyfe So I looked up tutorials and what to buy. And that's when I came across you, Professor. I cannot describe how much it means to me that you've made such great videos about a game that I've only played one game of. And that was an app! (And before you say that this is blasphemy for not playing Magic, then commenting about how much it means to me, but hey. I'm talking about Prof AND Magic.) But I'm almost ready to dive into actual play against people at my LGS. (Just need a job to eventually get stuff other than just a welcome deck and some card sleeves.) And while I don't have a lot of experience with Magic YET, I can proudly say that you, Professor, have paved the way for my preparation and journey into Magic. I love how much of a genuine passion you have for this game and community, and I thank you for introducing me to what makes it so great. I've had many days where after a stressful day at school, I come to what I consider a second school, the Tolarian Community College. So thank you, Professor. Thank you for showing me what makes Magic so great. Thanks for paving the way for my new journey as a Magic player. Thank you for being there after many a stressful day. Thank you for being my intro into my new favorite game. Thank you for being my professor. 😊 Max, North Carolina

I cried through this, I can relate to nearly all of it. Great video

I can't imagine how hard it must have been to go through that, but even more I couldn't have more respect for you for being brave enough to share it online. Thank you for sharing prof :] Keep doing what you're doing!

The worst part of all this is that the authority figures in your life blamed you for your miserable childhood, when it's obvious now that this isn't even remotely the case. It clearly wasn't at the time. Why the hell did teachers think this was okay? That violence was the fault of the victim?

That must have been hard to open up about. I really appreciate all that you do for us here at TCC. Just as you told us, I'll tell you: You are loved. Thank you for this.

"I give what I want to be given" So true, that's why I became a nurse, for compassion and unconditional love for others :(

Very strong of you to make this video, Professor. Highschool can be a very difficult period of life. I really like MTG and boardgames for what they offer in terms of community and a collective escape. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for sharing Prof! I’ve also spent a lot of my life being ridiculed for enjoying hobbies like MTG. I’ve found the MTG community to be one of the most inviting and accepting groups out there and I feel blessed to be apart of it.

So glad you made it through all that and can share something with others that not only helped you escape from a sometimes cruel reality, but changed your life for the better. Thanks for sharing!

Your bravery in sharing these vulnerable memories with us is inspiring and comforting. It's more valuable than I can adequately express. For the record I think YOU were how I found out about Pauper, my one true love, we're having a June wedding and you're invited. :D

I grew up in a very abusive household and could not speak to my classmates for many years because of my anxiety. I was bullied throughout elementary and middleschool and entered conversational therapy from a young age. Even with the therapy though I was desperate and miserable when trying to communicate with others my age. I knew about magic and eventually asked my only friend to start playing it with me. I went to my first tournament, the Return to Ravnica prerelease, when I was a junior because I was curious and was lucky enough to go 3-2 and win a prize. When I was 3-0 in the fourth round I remember playing against one of the most experienced players in the store and we played a long game of attrition that he would eventually win thanks to his lobber crew. Several people gathered around me as the round neared time and for the first time at my life many people cared about what I was doing. They were impressed that I had done well having never seen me before and were on the edge of their seat with me as the round came to an end and of course I ended up mana screwed in game three. To me it was an experience like no other. For once, I was good at something, for once, people were looking to me. I talked to people at that event and we discussed the format and offered some advice from our first impressions. This inspired me to start a magic club at my highschool. Through this club I would make a multitude of friends. I would do my first draft and fall in love with the format. And I would love school instead of dread it for the first time in my life. I grew socially more in the last two years in highschool than I had in the entirety of my life up until that point. I stopped hating people and I started understanding the love in getting to know my contemporaries. By the end of highschool I had dozens of friends and was no longer an outcast. In my early twenties the symptoms of ptsd and severe depression I had experienced throughout middle and highschool became more severe. My father was a paranoid schizophrenic and I was extremely paranoid of developing the disease. In the past year I have continued to struggle with severe mental illness and have been hospitalized multiple times. As my grandfather died my depression eventually left me a lifeless shell lying in my bed all day as my mother stood over me and cried because "I wasn't me anymore". Certainly, it has not been an easy year. But now I am feeling more stable and happy than I ever have before. I'm productive and social. I know this wouldn't have been the case if I had not went to that prerelease. If I hadn't met friends through magic I'd probably be a heroin addict or dead. That's why magic is my favorite game. It saved my life.

Professor, I feel like many (including myself) can relate to your story. Much respect and love for your work!

I am glad you could make it through! Much love to you man! Much love.

Thank you for sharing Professor. Its hard for those who go through this early on in their lives and it nice to see that others have struggled wit this as well. You'll always be the number one magic player I look up to.

This spoke to me on a personal level. Having been bullied heavily during middle school I understand where this is coming from. I too retreated into fantasy lands to escape the reality I felt trapped in. Fortunately by high school I managed to find a group of other social pariahs and we started playing duel masters. University then introduced me to my longest standing hobby (Magic) and ultimately lead me here. Thank you Professor for the continued excellent content and the community voice you help to cultivate.

I came to Magic later in life. I'd gone through the bullying and the feelings of worthlessness that come with being the school punching-bag. There is life after High School - you are proof of that. Thanks for being an inspiration to a generation of Magic geeks and nerds who need someone to show them the way.

I'm so proud to follow a man so brave to speak what must be speak and to share a so powerfull and painfull experience. All the best in the world for you professor!

Dragonlance was also my escape from reality. High five, prof!

Sorry for what you have passed thru. I would have never endured such an experience.

Thank you for sharing your story it helped me a lot to share mine with my family and friends today. It gave me the courage i needed to ask for the helped i needed. Thank you prof

I just stumbled upon this video. You really are a good man, I hope you know that there are thousands and thousands of people out there which are positively affected by your kind attitude, that love your fun and helpful videos and just get a little bit more enjoyment out of their daily lives because of it. Thank you for this and thank you for your openness in sharing this very personal topic of your past. I am sure it helps both, people that are in similar situations as well as those that on the fence of reaching out to the ones in desperate need of it.

First of all i want to say, that this story made me almost cry and I'm a grown man, but on the other hand it made me very happy to see the way your life changed, because of good people and magic. Just recently started to playing magic again, because of magic the gathering: arena. As you can imagine I'm a fairly new subscriber, but i just want to tell you that your channel is great and i really learned (or remembered :>) alot because of you. I played when i was 11-16 years old and it was a great time, now I'm almost 30 and will start playing the "paper version" again. I have no cards or anything right now, but just playing 2 weeks of magic online made me realise how much I missed to play it. I already found a card-store I will play at and will start next Friday with my first Booster Draft. I want to thank you, because your channel and the way you talk about magic have given me part of the motiviation to start playing again !!

Well, that was powerful. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for sharing this story, Prof. It's deeply intimate, and it's difficult to hear the pain, even so many years out from its source, coming from your voice. I think what hurts the most though, is that most people in the comment section can empathize, or even add their own memories. Whether you realize it or not, that in itself is inspiring. You are no longer a kid in the back reading a book, you are the head of a ship of misfits, Prof. And here, there are no screws in your ears, or heads in the toilet, or toothpaste in your nostrils so you "smell clean," here there is only a game and understanding. Thanks for creating that environment for us, Prof. We owe you one.

This is one of those moments when social media is such a powerful tool. Your story and message is so important and so wonderfully spoken. There are so many people that are isolated and alone, lonely as well, and they have no idea how to really connect with others, even those who may be like themselves. It's important for people to take time to speak to the kid, or even the adult, that seems to be lost. All it takes is a friendly voice, as you have demonstrated here, to really set someone free. Thank you for this message.

the "You are loved" at the end made me cry. thanks for the video professor ;)

Gotta love a creator that is honest and open with their audience. Great vid prof, cheers.

I hadn't realized how much I needed this until I saw it. I connect with this so much, all the way down to hiding out in the bathroom. Thank you for this. Thank you so much.

I struggle with a lot of the things mentioned (as well as anxiety) and it gives me comfort watching, and learning that there is hope. When I was growing up my parents were greatly against anything relating to D&D and magic, brushing it aside as some witchcraft that would rot their kid's mind. My dad was also very abusive at times, and me not being able to feel control and feeling the constant fear aching from within me eventually turned into anxiety. Yet, the very things that would help with the anxiety my parents took away. I am older now and I still play magic, and I try not to let others that bring me down get in the way. I just want to let everyone know that if you have a passion for something, regardless, just go for it. Thanks for sharing prof. We love you

I love your Magic Memories videos. They always move me deeply. And for what it is worth, I think your motivation to help others is nothing but selflessness. You are a truly compassionate and loving person and your desire to give back to people is one of the many reasons why I love your channel. Thank you.

Um . . . I have a had pretty good life. Magic: The Gathering made it better. It's too bad that many others must suffer for little to no good reason.

You can't hit me with all the feels this early. You recounted a very similar school experience that I had only there was no MTG for me until college, just D&D and those same novels. Bless you Prof, you make our community richer with your presence!

❤️❤️ I will say you are one if the biggest reasons how I had learned and got more into magic, when I wasn't feeling the best and feeling alone I always turned on one of your videos and it was able to help me escape. Thank you, you are a real inspiration!!!:)

I grew up popular in elementary school and never had to deal with the troubles you faced prof. However, around late middle/early high school I realized that the “outcasts” you mentioned were so much more interesting and genuine than my current “friends” that I reformed my life around them. Unlike the four other members of my dedicated play/friend group, and unlike most people here unfortunately, I because an outsider because I wanted to be. Magic was at the center of this reform, and the community has given me more than I could have ever asked for in terms of friendship and good times.

Hot damn professor, this hit me hard today, got some tears flowing. Thank you for sharing this, you are loved too

You've just made a 20 stone, 6ft 2" hard ass man cry. Such a sad collection of events that make a me angry! These trials and tribulations shapen who we become later on in life.

Thank you for sharing your story of how you came to Magic. It's not easy being so vulnerable. I wasn't bullied so much in school, but I always loved the game of Magic. As a teacher now, I've brought the game as an after school club for my middle schoolers. It's a pleasure just being a witness to the powerful healing effects that the game of Magic brings. Thank you again for sharing your story. It inspires me to continue developing this young club and the beautiful young people within it.

This video is amazing. I had my own turning point, though it was much less wholesome. I'm so proud of you Tolarian, despite my pride in a stanger meaning little.

Absolutely incredible Professor. This definitely feels very familiar to me, and it is very similar to my own experience. I’m so happy to hear someone who I am such a huge fan of, openly share feelings and experiences that so closely mirror my own and then see the incredible person they are today. It gives me hope.

Your ending words strike me right to the inner chambers of my heart and my inner soul. I can recall the night in July 2004, being depressed and feeling down about myself, sitting alone at a bar. This one girl walks up to me. “Hi I’m Summer. We should sing a song together.” I said no thanks. Summer would respond “Okay, but I will sing you a song for you.” She walked up on stage, and sung Black Velvet. Afterwards she took out some dark red lipstick, took my left hand, and wrote You are Loved. Then she kissed my forehead and walked out of the bar for a smoke. Those three words gave me the power to face my inner demons, and still given me hope to help others whom feel that their life is not worth living. I currently work with teenagers who’s life has become twisted, and I have reminded them the words you ended this video, and the words that Summer wrote on my hand. YOU ARE LOVED. Thank you professor, and I love you for all the work that you do.

We love you too Brian. I'm going through a rocky patch in my life, and being told and reminded that I am loved was a good thing to hear. Thank you for all you do, you make a lot of lives better.

You are a powerful, gentle soul. Your creativity and unique perspective is a constant inspiration. Thank you for being a pillar of our community.

This is very relatable. I was consantly bullied for most of elementary school, as far as I can tell it was just for trying to actualy be good in school and for prefering to sit aside during breaktime reading rather than playing socer. Once when I was 13 I was pushed into the sharp corner of my open locker twice, and beat down and kicked at just for being agry about being pushed and hurt. No one tried to help until a teacher came along and afterwards I was called a wuss for having to go the hospital (nothing serious had happened thank God, but had to check) and most of my class mates either didn't care at all or was on the side of the guy who'd kicked me. Another time when I was 11 a group of girls mocked and bullied me for like 10 minutes straight for siting and reading, and when I finally had enough I stood up and truned to them to ask them to stop, at which they ran to the teacher telling her I'd bullied them and threatened to hit them, and the teacher wouldn't even listen to my story, but just repremanded me. I went home crying that afternoon and while that wasn't the first time I'd been bullied (I was bullied for not being as fit or fast or strong as the other kids ever since I was 7), but that time was the first time I actually seroiusly considered just ending my life, seeing as how everyone obviously heted me and no one but my partens ever took my side (my parents love has saved me countless of times). Now I am almost 21 and am studiyng to become a teacher myself (in Swedish, so don't judge if I f-ed up a lot of spelling here), and though I only consider two ppl (outside of my family) to be my real friends, I at least don't get bullied anymore, and one of my friends got me into MTG, and I've never been judged (out loud so I could hear it) at an FNM table thus far.

Sounds like high school when i was going "Zero tolerance" does not mean zero tolerance. In fact it is basically "Don't let me catch you doing it" As much as i hate to admit it, The principal and I had a good relationship. The one time i finally fought back and knocked one of my bullies out, i was not punished, only because my principal knew the circumstances behind it. He knew i was being bullied but unfortunate could not do anything about it without proof. So he kind of gave me a free pass to deal it with it my way. I no longer had bullies.

Just wanted to say I'm glad you are here to spread the love and underatanding of MtG with us. Its sad that you went through so much and I feel you on the isolation you must have felt. I'm glad you are apart of the family MtG and Wizards of the Coast has established and I look forward to watching more of your videos and learning more from you. Thanks for the work you do and support you give to the community.

Prof, for many of us you are the light. You are the teacher we never had on a subject we enjoy but sometimes cant discuss or learn on. You do so much for us that i hope we can return even just a fraction of it, because you already do so much. We might be loved as you say at the end. but i can assure we all love you and your teaching :)

thank you!! you are not alone, much people and me have lived a common way and we rised them, i love this game too, and i only want to say you thats you are a great personthank you!! you are not alone, much people and me have lived a common way and we rised them, i love this game too, and i only want to say you thats you are a great person

i have been playing mtg on and off for almost 24 years, i quit now and again and then my mother got sick and passed away. mtg was the distraction i needed from the sorrow, it got me out of depression interacting with people again. i cant say what state i would of ended up in without mtg in my life, i am thankful for the game and the friends i met along the way, great video prof.

Never had a problem with finding friends, but this video was AWESOME! Such a great message. Thanks for being so open and sharing your experience. I hope it helps save others who are feeling lonely.

Prof I just want to thank you. I want to thank you for sharing your passion and knowledge of the game. I rediscovered magic and found your channel during a dark time in my life. The game and your videos were a light during that dark time and ultimately helped me through it. I love your edh deck techs and product reviews and look forward to each video do I can share and discuss with my new friends. I’ll forever show my support and hold you in the highest regard.

After my friends, who I’d known for almost 8 years, grew away from me, I got really isolated, especially after I moved to another county. For the entire first year at this new high school, I talked to no one. During the first months of the next year, I saw a kid on the bus with some funny looking cards. I could’ve never said anything, but instead, I said “hey, what are those cards?” And he said “magic the gathering.” I said “what’s that?” He offered to teach me how to play, and I said “sure.” The very next day, he had built me a black/white standard deck (theros block) and I invited him to my house, and we played games with my brother for hours. Then I met with the game club at school every other Friday and played magic, and got attuned to the game. Then I found loadingreadyrun and TCC. If I hadn’t simply let my curiosity over those cards on the bus lead me to ask a single question, I’d have never been introduced to the friends and communities that, frankly, are kind of the reason I’m still alive. Thanks, magic.

I guess you're going to receive a lot of messages like these, but the first few minutes of this video resonated deeply with my own experience in middle/high school. It's almost as if you were telling what happened to me. I even hurt my hand when I slammed it my desk when I heard the words "toughen up", as they have deeply hurt me in the past, and anger me to no limits today. Thank you prof, we love you.

I absolutely loved this video! I'm new to magic, over a year at this time. Just to hear a testimony about one person asking you to play magic and how it shapped your life is awesome. Very inspiring!

I will never be able to express my gratitude for all that you do Professor. Thank you, from the deepest depths of my heart, for extending your hand to me and so many others around the world. All love, always.

That is so moving and emotional.

Hey Prof. thank you for these types of Videos. I wish I could have had a Teacher like you when I went through 1 year of Community College. It ended up being a pretty bad experience for me and I had to "formally withdraw", which just means they keep asking me for money. But I'm optimistic with where I am right now, I can fix up a computer with the best of 'em. My Resume may be sparser than it should be, but I'm content. That's what people need sometimes. Just to be content.

Man, I cried from the middle of the video to the very end, because your story was my story too. Magic saved and gave me my long lasting friendships and my miserable school life. And then later, my college life. Thank you so much for sharing. It gives me, and maybe many others meaning for all the suffering we had passing through life. No, growing, evolving and enjoying life. Thank you prof!

This video is so well done. Thank you for sharing professor! You are loved from beyond the lighted stage! Found out about this video from your legends pack pull. You deserve it. The card, Tolaria being in the pack. The rush of emotions and nostalgia. YOU PUT GOOD VIBES OUT INTO THE UNIVERSE. And the universe sees it and benefits from it. Thank you for all your hard work and keep doing what you are doing!!

A sad past. I hope it shows everyone that in life the dice are rolled multiple times. I also know friends who had a very hard time before and ended up suddenly jumping up the foodchain away from the base to the center/top. All the best to you all.

do you still have contact to the girl?

It takes a lot of guts to share what you went through, yet you shared, and in such a stoic manner too. Thank you, Prof. I hope your words help others.

These videos of yours always hit way to close to home. Glad you met found your place and likeminded people. I had to get past 30, found my group where I'm comfortable. Everyone deserves that !

I went through the same kind of thing but not nearly as bad as that. Glad someone reached a hand out towards you, and that you are inspiring others to do the same. You are definitely the best professor I've ever known.

It's kind of heartbreaking to listen that kind of story. As a kid and a teenager, I was lucky enough to grow up believing that such bullying stories were something that only happened in movies. As a "nerd" who reads comics, plays videogames and plays card games I've heard some similar stories from slightly older people than me (not necessary about Magic, as each one found their one thing such as a specific sport they could practice on their own, or photography, drawing, etc.) Sure, there were bullies, but I never heard of anyone being hit at school, for example. I want to believe that, little by little we've (and the people who came before me) made a better world for those of us who want to read comics, play videogames or engage in Magic the gathering games. That's great, and it's in our hands to try to make it even better for those who came after us. I wanted to point it out, because I've already started seeing people in MTG circles treating others as inferiors because they play worse or started playing before and therefore, they are not "real Magic players". I've seen people be unkind to others in FNMs and mock them for playing casual decks or not knowing how to play properly. I've seen people treating others as stupid for choosing to play "easier" decks such as Ramunap Red or Burn, or trying to make them feel bad for playing ""obnoxious"" decks such as a combo, or lantern control. Remember where we come from. Magic is about inclussion and giving each one the opportunity to play and have fun the way they like. We are a community!

As a fellow teacher, I can say that your testimony can not be heard enough. You are an amazing individual, one who’s videos I very much look forward to watching. Keep up the good work, professor!

So many people have passed and are passing tough times like you experienced, and your story makes them stronger! This should remind us too that we should be kind when playing a game, and exercise our minds to ba calm when losing, when facing some one who isn't fair to us. Magic is our calm place, that's why we should all be friendly to each other!

wait there was specifically a invertebrate zoology class damn the 90s were wild

I was bullied in Junior high instead of toughing up I smartened up using the newly placed bully systems to send my bully's into detention. I found magic from some of the less bold bullied kids I sort of became the champion of the lost and bullied. I always held magic and yugioh at the cafeteria table and the bully's could do nothing as long as I was there. Of course I didn't care much for anything and had concentration problems and wasn't really good at grades. But the way i talked and held myself people thought I was allot smarter than I actually was.

I clicked on this video and boy was I surprised. I expected something or another about dominaria, but I got was much better. I've never heard someone tell a story I could relate to like this. I just wanted to thank you for the inspiring message and wish you much luck in the future. People don't realize how far a little kindness and encouragement can go.

That was beautiful, eloquent and heart felt. Thank you for showing me I am not alone. My playgroup has become my best friend. I can’t name any one of them as my best when they all are. My life has had hard ups and downs and now I have people to share my pain with as well as my triumphs. So again, from me to you thank you.

You are loved too, Professor!

Thanks Brian, I needed to hear that this week :)

Professor, it has been a long time since feeling such a connection with anyone. Your story sounds so similar to that of my own, yet my Magic salvation wasn't granted until my early 20's. I had long since thought my tears were dried up, but such was not the case upon hearing you open your hearts to us down-trodden and socially inept individuals. Thank you for sharing and allowing for others like myself to finally feel welcome in this world.

This was a great video and I'm watching it 4 years after you made it. I was lucky to have a close group of friends that were pretty much all into Magic the Gathering, which helped a lot. Bullying was something that we all went through but we all had each other. Thanks for this beautiful, thoughtful content

Estuve llorando casi desde el principio! Te odio profesor! I m really proud of you, i love this video so much that i translated to my mom and dad. Thank you professor.

I understand this so much. I was also extremely bullied. I also got in trouble for being bullied. As a queer kid I was flat out told by my religious principal that I deserved it. I also hid myself in things: Magic, D&D, French, and Japanese. My fiancé still doesn't quite get why Magic is so important to me, and why I want him to play with me so bad. I just need to learn Mandarin (his first language) so he has no excuse to not play!

I can relate to your feelings of isolation. I'm glad you found a group of people to help you to discover and share yourself and I'm glad you create these videos, it's amazing to have someone so willing to share their experiences on these often shirked subjects. Thank you, kindly!

This video is beautiful and deeply moving. Thank you so much for your contributions to the community. What's incredible about the act of kindness that you share here is how it continues to manifest itself even today. Blessed be those who seek to uplift another. Thank you.

Thank you

Thats a really good story

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but the up side is what you became from the experience. I hope your story can help and inspire others. I only recently started playing. It was a way to connect with my son, who is also a lonely, misunderstood person as well. His love of this game and his breadth of knowledge (thanks to you and other youtubers) keeps him moving forward. You can see the way his face lights up and his demeanor changes any time we sit down to play, or build a new deck, or go to Friday night Magic. Keep doing what you do, we appreciate it. And also, I am completely addicted to this game now and your channel has been an amazing resource for learning about it. Thanks again.

Thank you Prof. If it wasn't for your video on your experiences with anxiety and medication, I don't think I ever would have gotten help myself. The positive impact your channel has on my hobbies and everyday life is tremendous. Thank you so much.

I feel. I remember finding my high school games club and magic for the first time. One of the best days of my life and I found a lot of fast friends. Not to mention slivers

My comfort. My safe haven. My Magic.

thank you prof for sharing all your magic stories with the community and i want you to know how wide the community is back in high school i was a major social butterfly who talked to everyone and playing mtg is and has been one of my favorite pass times since i was 11 im so glad that you found the game and it helped you come out of your shell a truly inspirational story

This is one of the reasons why TCC is my favorite MtG channel because it taps into a lot more than just what the game is, but how the game interweaves itself into the lives of so many, how it's affected so many folks, and you vocalize that so well. Thank you for this.