Speaker Talks to Students About Passions, Perseverance

Motivational speaker Brad Cohen issued four challenges to students from Brentwood schools on Friday: keep a positive attitude, persevere through adversity, have a passion for what you do, and believe in the power one.

"All it takes is one person to make a difference," said Cohen during a speech to fourth through students in the auditorium. "My challenge to you today is to be that one person."

When Cohen was younger, no one believed in him. Cohen has Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder that occasionally causes face tics and makes him produce noises. It's like how your brain forces you to blink your eyes.

A sixth-grade class at wrote to Cohen to ask questions about his personal story and invite him to speak in Brentwood.

In middle school, bullies laughed at Cohen and teachers punished him for making noises.

"The teachers were against me, the kids were against me," Cohen said. "What was there to like about middle school?"

Then Cohen's life changed after his principal asked him to talk about his condition in front of the entire school. After explaining Tourette Syndrome to the students, they responded by giving him a standing ovation.

They just needed to understand, he said. That's why Cohen decided to become a teacher.

Even after graduating cum laude with honors from Bradley University, finding a job wasn't easy. He was told that students wouldn't listen to a teacher who made noises.

After finally securing a job in Atlanta, GA, Cohen won a state teaching award later that year for his work in the classroom. Now he's a school administrator.

He used his story of perseverence to encourage students to follow their dreams. If they love sports, then they should join a team. If their passion is to read books, then they should take every opportunity to read.

"And it means never giving up," he said.

Cohen wrote about his experiences in Front of the Class and his inspirational story is the subject of a movie.