(FRONT OF THE CLASS, BRAD'S COHEN STORY)

“The Only Way To Believe That Different aren’t Different is ACCEPTANCE”

So It’s Okay to be DIFFERENT!!  Cheer Up !!:) 

-Bufete, Jeparoshie M., BSE-2D-

Brad Cohen is an American motivational speaker, teacher, school administrator, and author who has severe Tourette syndrome (TS). Cohen described his experiences growing up with the condition in his book, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, co-authored with Lisa Wysocky. The book has been made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie titled Front of the Class.

During his childhood, Cohen was accused of being a troublemaker in school and was punished by his teachers for the tics and noises caused by TS. He decided to "become the teacher that he never had". After he graduated and received his teaching certificate, 24 elementary schools rejected him before he was hired at Mountain View Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia. As a new teacher, he waXs named Georgia's First Class Teacher of the Year.

MOVIE ANALYSIS QUESTIONS:

a.)  What is Courage?

Courage is something a powerful driving force that a person can ever have for me. Let’s say a special ability given to us that enables us and enlightens us to not stop hoping for that something will happen positive whatever happens. It is also enables us to keep on going through agonies, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation to arrive at in our greatest goal and aspirations in life.

“YOU CAN NEVER CROSS THE OCEAN UNLESS YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO LOSE THE SIGHT OF THE SHORE” just as what Christopher Columbus said, this line gives me another way to put meaning on and how to distinguish what’s really “Courage”. I want to be directed to what I really want to convey about Courage which is Courage is different from hope as what I can see in my own view. Even I see the two as distinct on their own way still I can say that they will never be apart on their existence. How will I reason this out? I will start with the courage. Courage is to face fear and embrace uncertainty with strength. The true actuality of Courage is happening and acting when there is fear and CONFRONTING BARRICADES. Simply, they are the guiding force of Courage. Courage is done in its fullest without thinking if you will receive positive and negative results, what’s behind it is all because of you KEEP MOVING FORWARD no matter the circumstances are. So how about hope? There will be courage if there is hope and there will be hope if there is courage. Yes, hope is an essential element of COURAGE. Hope leads us to optimism that anything happens whether it’s negative and positive will always have its best result that’s why you have courage to keep going. J

b.)  Do you think that Brad Cohen was a person with courage?

Of course yes!! J Well, we can see how Brad was challenged with all of the pressures around him frequently because if his Tourette syndrome which became as his constant companion. Firstly, the approval from his father for his disability which is one of his roughest moments he had for a long time. Correspondingly, the things got around with other peers such as during his childhood school days and even when he got to find work as a teacher which is his greatest dream ever in life. Regardless of those trials, he still made it with all of his efforts, strong philosophy and lessons learned through his downfalls and that’s because of his solid COURAGE. J

c.)  How did Brad’s story make you feel? What did you learn from it?

Honestly, the movie made me cried just from the very beginning especially the most dramatic scenes there. It made me feel sad with the other dramatic parts but what I totally feel about after watching the movie is to be inspired because that was a very heart touching and motivational movie. There were many lessons in life featured that would totally fascinate audiences’ attention to spend time watching it. We can get many lessons from the movie but the most captivating lessons I’ve ever get there are, *for our weaknesses and disabilities: LEARN TO KEEP GOING, LEARN TO NOT LET IT STOP YOU, LEARN TO NOT LET IT WIN. To do it we should have to learn how to be positive, open-minded, courageous, hopeful, honest and humble. Lastly, as a normal person, to ACCEPT and RESPECT people for who they are, no matter what their disability may be because the only reason why they became different is because of how we treat them unlikely from how we treat anybody else.  

d.)  How would having a Tourette syndrome affect your life?

Maybe, just like how Brad’s life goes on. Because, whenever we put earth there and here, similar scenarios would be the same just as how that syndrome affects social interaction, building up relationship with many kinds of social group, and even working with your dreams. Yes, all those things in my life would be harder more than I can think of it because people and the world would probably treat me as different from them which is the reality. Nonetheless, I know God would give me essential abilities and skills to reach out from my weakness and from being different from others which also give me courage to live the kind of life I have.

e.)  Is pressure a very strong influence in this school? Does it take courage to resist peer pressure?

Yes, anyways, you can find pressures anywhere on this world. But it will always depend upon you if how you will accept it, to defeat it or let it win your way. Here in school, there were many reasons why pressure is a strong influence to me such as terror teachers, clash of different views with others, different class standing inside the room, time pressures and many more especially I’m already in the tertiary level of education and so I must be able to take things independently and carry out things with proper decisions. Yes, it must be taken with full courage because it’s a challenge how to handle peer problems.

f.)   Are there kids in your school who pick on others? How do you feel about it? Why do people allow that to happen? What can you do about it? What can teachers do about it?

These present days, I don’t see kids in schools picking on others but I see in some other places, I came to stop them and felt bad about it. Maybe some people allow that to happen because they are careless or maybe don’t want to be in the trouble too.  But as my usual reaction to those kids who pick on each other, I normally talked to them and ask what’s going on and sometimes if I can’t stop it, I call others to help stopping them. And for the teachers, especially if it happens at school, proper education must be addressed to students and as well as proper counseling that will eradicate such consequences in school.

g.)  In what ways have you demonstrated courage in your life?

Well, I have many experiences that I can consider that I take courage for it. When I was just in my high school years, I used to do things my way or I can say I prefer to not work with others. That instance reveals me to be sometimes loner and even so have many fears when I am tasked to speak publicly. Yes, I have that kind of extreme fear where I have less confidence in terms of that. But I made myself to do something about it because I don’t want to be just like all that. I found my interest and that’s singing and one time there was a contest in school, I thought if I can do it but all I did is to challenge myself, I went to audition and I passed it and during the contest luckily, I won it and that’s where I started singing and it was the first way to build up my confidence. That was the time I got serious joining singing contests even sometimes I fail and got fear, I am still doing what I should do whatever the results will be, what’s important is you did the best you can do.

h.)  How can we celebrate differences rather than make fun of them?

I just have only two answers. We can only do it by RESPECT and ACCEPTANCE just I have learned from the movie. To ACCEPT and RESPECT people for who they are, no matter what their disability may be because the only reason why they became different is because of how we treat them unlikely from how we treat anybody else.  Let’s start building up RESPECT and ACCEPTANCE with ourselves to know who really are. Because if we don’t know how to respect and accept who we are then how will we be able to respect and accept other persons’ differences?