Front of the Class

It was late and I was tired. Just getting home from a long Board meeting I thought that a little time of mindless entertainment would be exactly what I needed. I turned on the television and began watching a “Hallmark” movie, Front of the Class. It was about half over, but looked interesting. What I got was anything but mindless. The movie was about Brad Cohen, a teacher with severe Tourette syndrome. It depicted the incredible courage he needed daily to face a room of students and all the prejudices from the homes.

I thought about the disabilities we bring with us everyday into the classroom. I have seen teachers work from a wheel chair, with an arm in a sling, with a cast on a foot, and with a patch on an eye. Many of these have been temporary disabilities, but not all. A former student teacher of mine had a degenerative muscular problem, and other teachers bring their own learning disabilities into the classroom. I brought ADHD.

Brad Cohen fought against prejudice all of his life. This was portrayed in YouTube videos about his life which I found after watching the end of this movie. As a child, he could not stop making noises in class or twitching any more than a person in a wheelchair could run faster. He was ridiculed and punished for a disability; something that he had no control over. This continued as he grew into adulthood. He went on over twenty-five interviews before finding a school that would give him a chance to teach. He did not disappoint them. That year he was named the Sallie Mae’s First Year Teacher of the Year in the state of Georgia. He continued to earn recognition and awards for his outstanding service in the classroom.

During his acceptance speech for that initial award, he thanked those who had supported him, but he gave the greatest thanks to his most influential teacher and constant companion, Tourette’s. This took me by complete surprise.

During our next faculty meeting I will be showing some excerpts of Brad Cohen.

Have a great weekend and look for a chance to watch the Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie, Front of the Class.