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Brad Cohen

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Overview

Brad Cohen is a famous teacher in the United States. In fact, he won Teacher of the Year Award for the State of Georgia. What is so different about him? He suffers from a severe case of Tourette Syndrome. During his childhood, he was accused of being a troublemaker in school. He never intended to cause odd noises he made, such as "Woop Ja Ja!". His teachers unfairly punished him. His classmates shunned him. He decided to try to become a teacher that he never had. After he graduated and received his certificate in teaching, he started to apply to schools for a teaching position. Twenty-four elementary schools rejected him after the interviews. He finally got his dream job at Mountain View Elementary School in Cobb County.

Early Life

Brad grew up in St. Louis to a Jewish family. When he was a child, he had a hyperactive disorder. His doctor made a mistake and diagnosed him with A.D.D. In the 1980s, not many people were aware of Tourette Syndrome; thus, he was shunned and mistreated by the public. Brad Cohen's level of Tourette Syndrome does not cause him to curse words, but he has a severe case of TS. He has vocal and facial tics that worsen as he becomes older. His parents divorced during his early childhood. His mother was compassionate towards him. His father did not understand Tourette Syndrome easily. He often got frustrated with his son, and he would yell at him for making noises or physical convulsions. When his father moved away, they drifted apart.

School Life

Teachers did not understand him because they thought he was a michievious student. He kept making a variety of noises caused by Tourette Syndrome. Once, he reported that his 5th grade teacher was fed up with him and forced him to walk up to the front of the classroom to apologize for the noises he made and promise that he would never do them again. He felt humiliated and oppressed. That time, he decided that he will become the teacher he never had. He said, "I wanted to be the teacher who looked at strengths, not weaknesses." Not only did the teachers mistreat him. His peers were harsh on him. He sat alone eating lunch in the cafeteria while the kids mimicked his noises and laughed at him. Later, he ate lunch with his school nurse in her office. Brad's mother kept advocating for him. She explained to the faculty about Tourette Syndrome, but some did not understand how Tourette Syndrome could work. His mother became frustrated often, but she kept supporting him through his school life. In the beginning of his eighth grade, his principal had an idea. He decided to let Brad speak in the front of the whole school about his Tourette Syndrome. Since that, Brad continued to speak in front of people about his Tourette Syndrome, increasing his confidence and speech skills. He started to make friends, and he participated in extracurricular activities.

College Life

He decided to attend Bradley University, majoring in Teacher Education. He, however, was discriminated while he was attending Bradley. He got kicked out of a local fast food restaurant after he made noises. He felt rejected and came to his dorm in tears. His peers decided to boycott the restaurant. The business started to have less and less customers after the protests. The manager anxiously apologized to Brad. Brad Cohen graduated cum laude with many academic honors. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1990s.

Career

He started to apply to a variety of elementary schools for a teaching position. He interviewed with administrators, but he made typical noises with Tournette Syndrome during the interviews. Often, the administrators responded "You can't become a teacher" to him. He got rejected twenty-four times. At Mountain View Elementary school, the assistant principal attended a board meeting, and she heard other administrators talking about a person with Tourette Syndrome searching for a teaching position. Other administrators were discriminating him, but the assistant principal opened her eyes. She convinced the principal to hire him. Brad Cohen started to teach second and third grades. He was awarded the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year in 1997. He is currently teaching second grade at Tritt Elementary School in the suburbs of Altanta. At the beginning of his classes, he always teaches the kids about his Tourette Syndrome, and he makes sure the kids understand him. His students have positive feedbacks.

Accomplishments

Brad has been very active in organizations. He serves as the Vice President of the Board of Governors for the Tourette Syndrome Association of Georgia. He was a chairman of Relay for Life. He was a little league coach for baseball teams. He was recognized for his community involvement. Brad's first published work was a chapter in the book named Getting Personal-Stories of Life with Tourette Syndrome by Michael DeFilippo. Brad published a book, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had. Brad also interviewed with Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday, May 26, 2006.This is the official website.

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