How Did Brad Cohen Decide To Have Tourette's Syndrome

The movie, “Front of the Class”, follows a man named Brad Cohen that has Tourette’s Syndrome. He was affected by this at a young age, but it was not diagnosed right away. Teachers, peers and family members would get irritated at him for always making noises because they were convinced that he was purposefully doing it. Because this disease does not have a cure, Mr. Cohen learned to beat Tourette Syndrome through perseverance.
Brad Cohen had an extremely difficult childhood because nobody understood why he was choosing to twitch and make noises all the time. He was different and that was evident everywhere he went. In school, his peers bullied him and constantly laughed at him. His teachers would constantly send him to the principal’s office for being a constant disturbance. His father especially would get so aggravated with him and would constantly emphasized his poor behavior and lack of self-control. Even after he was diagnosed, life didn’t magically get any better because there is no cure, so the same things would continue forever, but now they understood the cause. He could now prove that his brain would

cause these noises and that he can not hold it in just like a sneeze. He decided after attending a support group that he would not let this disease ruined his life, instead he decided to not let it defeat him and his dreams.
Have Tourette’s Syndrome is not just a “self-control” issue, it is a neurological issue.

It causes involuntary movements known as ticks and vocal outburst. Brad Cohen could not do anything to hold these symptoms back or to get rid of them all together. Brad’s disease did have an impact on his parents. His mother was concerned about him and his future. She feared the limitations for her son that she saw other people with Tourette’s Syndrome suffering from. Brad’s father was never accepting of the disease, which consequently strained their relationship. He even admitted to sometimes feeling embarrassed to be in public places with Brad because of the outbursts. Later in the movie, it is revealed to us that the reason Brad’s father could never accept that fact that Brad had Tourette’s Syndrome was because he could not fix it and a part of him felt

responsible.
A big turning point in his life would be in middle school. He was sent to the principal’s office for being a distraction in class and the school was having a concert that afternoon. He thought it would be best not to attend, but the principal insisted that he would go. During the concert, Brad did have some outbursts. Afterwards, the principal called Brad to the stage to inform and educate his peers and teachers of his disorder. The principal asked him how the school could help and his response was that he wanted to be treated normal.
After graduating college, he began looking for elementary teaching jobs despite the challenges this disease gives him. He always wanted to be a teacher and having Tourette’s Syndrome encouraged him even more to do so because he wants to teach to embraces being different. Interview after interview, he would address his disability and explain how he would handle it in a classroom and he would never receive a call back. Finally, after nearly giving up, a school hired him as a new second grade teacher. He didn’t allow this disease to defeat him.
He allowed his students to ask any questions they had about his disability and they were all accepting of him. He respected his students and they respected him. His teaching ability was not hindered by his disability. His students were still able to focus, learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. In his first year of teacher, he received the Teacher of the Year Award. He did face challenges with some students and some parents, but he overcame those obstacles. He is an inspiration to anyone with Tourette’s Syndrome or any other disability to not let a disability defeat you from reaching your dreams.

Reflection
Eye-opening would be an understatement to my response to this movie. I have so much respect for Brad Cohen and the powerful testimony of his overcoming life. The easy thing to do would be to let this disability destroy his life, but instead he uses what one would consider a number one weakness as a number one strength. This definitely encouraged me to change the way I view challenges. Instead of a setback, it is a launching pad if you allow it to be. For students who have disabilities that I will have in my classroom, I want to treat them and have their classmates treat them as equals. I do not want to look down on those students because they are not less than any other human. Each student was created by God and has a God-given calling on their life whether they have a disability or not. This movie educated me on how a student with disabilities would like to be treated, how a family dynamic could be affected because of a disability and especially how to encourage a student with Tourette’s Syndrome. Allowing them to educate their peers helps them to feel more accepted, which can decrease the number of outbursts since the person feels comfortable. The Lord created all people and desires us to love all people, with and without disabilities. This movie touched my heart and I truthfully feel like it will assist me in my future classroom.