A Special Look of Front of the Class

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Transcript

00:00His name is Brad Cohen, a grade 2 teacher in Atlanta.

00:09The life journey that brought Brad to this school is by any measure extraordinary.

00:16When Brad was 6, he started making strange noises and developed body tics.

00:21It drove his father crazy.

00:24Okay, quit the clowning. Your brother may think it's funny, but I don't.

00:27You can't help it.

00:27Yes, you can. There's nothing wrong with you. The little self-control wouldn't fix.

00:31Now stop it.

00:32Now she's going to take you home today.

00:35You can come back.

00:35Shut, shut, shut.

00:36He can't help.

00:38Sorry, what did you say?

00:39He said he can't help it.

00:41Brad's mother, Ellen, was a solid rock of support.

00:45My mom was the one being my big cheerleader, saying,

00:50Brad, it's not a big deal. You can do it.

00:52She's sort of a hero for sticking it out and not letting people get her down.

00:57And refusing to give up the fight.

01:02Brad, come up here, please.

01:04It wasn't until he was 10 that Brad's noises and tics were diagnosed as Tourette Syndrome,

01:10a neurological disorder that affects more than 200,000 Americans.

01:15I know you think you're the class clown, but I've had it with you.

01:19And your clowning makes it impossible.

01:21Brad's middle school years were a nightmare.

01:24Don't apologize to me. Apologize to them.

01:27The one good thing that came out of Brad's difficult school years

01:31was the decision he made to become the teacher he never had.

01:35There are so many kids out there that have disabilities or weaknesses.

01:40And if we just focus on those weaknesses, then are we really doing justice to children?

01:46Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You're gorgeous.

01:49Everybody who worked on Front of the Class agrees.

01:53The film is about much more than Tourette Syndrome.

01:56It's really about the victory of the human spirit.

02:03I think it's about mothers and sons and fathers and sons.

02:08And it's about how do families handle great stress and difficulty in their lives and overcome it.

02:16I've got a picture of you guys.

02:17Newcomer Jimmy Wolk plays Brad Cohen.

02:21I hope people can see that he's a normal guy,

02:24that he's an intelligent, funny, beautiful, sensitive person

02:28who happens to have Tourette Syndrome.

02:31Russ Patrick for CBS, Shreveport, Louisiana.