Brenna B. (demiducky25) reviewed Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had on + 161 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I saw this story first as the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie back in December, and when I found out that it was based on a book, I had to read it! So after waiting patiently, it finally came up on my PBS wishlist, and I finished reading it less than 24 hours after I received it. It is a very quick read. As a teacher, I found Brad story to be quite touching and as the sister of someone who constantly struggles with learning disabilities that get in the way of his goals, I found myself really rooting for Brad to be successful. What did bother me was how throughout the book there are references to how it took 24 interviews to get a job, and I might just be looking at it through the eye's of today's tough economy or through the eyes of someone who started in the teaching field a few years ago in Northern NJ where getting a teaching job is nearly impossible no matter how qualified you are, but to me that didn't seem too awful as from my perspective, getting a teaching job is very, very hard and can take years. But again, perhaps things were very different in 1990s Georgia than 2000s NJ in that respect. Also, I expected the larger bulk of the book to be about his trials teaching, but that doesn't even come into play until around Ch. 10 of the 15 chapters. Most of the book is about how he struggles to reach his goal of becoming a teacher. Still, Brad's story is delightful to read, you will be amazed by how much he does accomplish. As his father put it "You have turned out to be one incredible young man. I am not sure if it is because of the Tourette's or in spite of the Tourette's." Brad doesn't let his Tourette's stop him from doing everything that he wants to do, he sometimes just has to do it differently. Just by being in front of the class, Brad shows his students that nothing is impossible and is a model for accepting everyone as they are. As a teacher, I hope that I am able to touch the lives of my students the way that Brad did for his students, and since I'm having a bad week where I feel like I'm not making any difference, reading this story gives me some hope. This is an all-around feel-good book! :-)
Eileen S. (smileen) -
This book should be read by everyone who teaches children,everyone who has ever been in a class or a workplace with a handicapped person, and everyone who has struggled with having a special needs child in their lives. This is the most uplifting story I have read since probably Temple Grandin's story. This author has Tourette's Syndrome,and this is his story. He let nothing stand in his way. He made the people he met understand his disability,and he never stopped reaching for his dreams! It's the most heartwarming story I have read in a long time!
