I’m not an avid TV watcher and when I do sit down in front of the tube, it’s rarely for a television movie, let alone a Hallmark Hall of Fame one. Eekk. Those kinds of schmaltzy, sappy, tear-jerker films just aren’t my scene.
Yet last night, I found myself glued (and then increasingly unglued) as I watched Front of the Class, a real life tale of a young teacher with Tourette Syndrome. Despite a rough and misunderstood childhood, where classmates, teachers and even his own father ridiculed and berated him about his neurological disorder, Brad Cohen grows into an optimistic and determined young man, intent on becoming the kind of teacher he never had: kind, supportive, and understanding.
The journey is far from easy. Even though he excelled in college and had the recommendations to boot, Cohen interviewed at 25 different schools in the Atlanta-area, before he was finally offered a job as a second-grade teacher. The scene where Cohen breaks down in his car after a particularly horrible interview is heart-wrenching.
To be honest, there’s a lot of material in the film that will bring on the waterworks. Toward the end of the movie, my eyes were nearly swollen shut (can barely seen the monitor right now) because I’d cried so much and I AM NOT A BIG WUSS; trust me.
Front of the Class is an inspiring film; truly one of the best stories of human triumph that I’ve seen characterized on film in a long, long time. It should be required (I’m not getting paid by the Hallmark people) viewing at all schools, to show teachers and students how to treat people who are different. And to show those who are different that they can succeed in spite, and sometimes because of their differences.
Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor
