FRANCISCO ASHLEY L. ACEDILLO MM 2011-B

REFLECTION PAPER: on the film “Front of the Class”

My first encounter with Tourette’s Syndrome, I admit, wasn’t very constructive and helpful in making me understand this condition. In fact, I can dare say that it wouldn’t have helped me any in dealing properly with a person suffering from Tourette’s.

I remember watching a comedy film, “Deuce Bigelow, Male Gigolo,” many years back. It starred Rob Schneider as a struggling scientist/researcher on fishes, who gets dragged into the wild and weird world of male prostitution – which of course leads to several hilarious encounters. One of the women he must supposedly “service” is afflicted with Tourette’s, and is therefore unable to control her twitching and incessant utterances of cuss words. As difficult as her condition was, Schneider’s character Deuce is able to find her an appropriate social activity to usher her acceptance into the larger community of people -- a baseball game, known to Americans as pretty appropriate for high temper levels and cursing among players and fans alike, as the movie portrays – rather than continue to live in rejection and isolation. The movie ends well for the girl with Tourette’s, along with the other supposed “clients” of Deuce Bigelow who suffer from the weirdest most unusual afflictions or deformities.

The only link or similarity this comedy of a movie has with “Front of the Class” is its portrayal of most people’s lack of understanding and acceptance of Tourette’s Syndrome, and incredulity and strangeness it triggers from our reactions. And that includes me. “Front of the Class,” a real life portrayal of Tourette’s sufferer Brad Cohen, change all of that for me, forever. I will never be ignorant, and therefore intolerant, of people with such condition and others similar to it ever again.

Much credit should really go to Mrs. Cohen, Brad’s mother, in raising a resilient and very motivated son who is able to transcend and live well beyond his medical condition to pursue one of the most challenging of professions: TEACHING. But the ultimate accolade -- and deservingly I might add -- of course goes to Brad himself. If anything, he didn’t let Tourette’s permanently ruin his life but instead gave it the best context: make it a motivation to succeed, and allow that success (in this case, becoming a teacher) to translate into making lives better for his students – especially those who might have been perceived as different or difficult. I say that is the ultimate comeback from a dejected and disappointing childhood because of Tourette’s to a life as an adult with meaning and profound impact to the lives of his young students.

FRANCISCO ASHLEY L. ACEDILLO MM 2011-B

Going back to his mother, she deserves all the praise: along with Brad’s brother, roommate, other friends, his girlfriend; and later down the road, even his father. Brad’s personal relationships with them have been mechanisms of love and support. And yes, the principal of his school who made him go up the stage after a musical recital just made my list of favorite motivational characters. If it wasn’t for that man and that encounter -- and the other students’ acceptance of Brad and the respect it gained for him despite his condition -- Brad’s childhood and early years in school might have been for more miserable.

Hallmark has done it again by mounting this great, albeit understated and underrated, movie. It warms the heart and gives us a valuable lesson: Life may deal you with bad cards, and many will most likely make it as an excuse to lose the game. But it’s not the cards you’re dealt with, but how you play the game.

Brad Cohen was dealt with Tourette’s and could have been consigned to a life of misery and isolation – of defeat -- but he didn’t. As a twelve year old he determined to persevere and not let his condition get in the way of achieving his dreams, and more importantly, of finding his life’s meaning. He succeeded in both, and even found love. The ending could not have been happier.