"I wanted to be that teacher that I never had. And that was my dream. I wanted to be the teacher that focused on kids' strengths, not weaknesses." Those words come from a book called Front of the Class, written by Brad Cohen, a teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. The book, which was also made into a movie, tells Brad's story of how he followed his dream, and the obstacles he overcame to realize it. In fact, there was one enormous obstacle in particular that first arose during his childhood.
「我想成為那位我未曾有過的老師。那是我的夢想。我想成為專注於孩子們長處的老師，而不是弱點。」那些話來自一本名為《叫我第一名》的書，由 Brad Cohen 所撰寫，喬治亞州亞特蘭大的一位老師。這本書也被拍成電影，講述 Brad 如何追逐夢想的故事，以及他為了實現夢想所克服的障礙。事實上，在他童年時，特別有一個首次出現的大障礙。
While at elementary school, Brad developed an embarrassing problem. He started having sudden twitches that he could do nothing to prevent. He also occasionally made grunting noises, or shouted out words that got him into trouble. He was even thrown out of class a couple of times. Eventually, his problem was identified as Tourette Syndrome, a condition of the central nervous system.
在小學時，Brad 漸漸有一個令人困窘的問題。他開始產生突然、且沒有辦法加以防止的抽搐。他偶爾也會發出咕嚕咕嚕的噪音，或是大聲喊出讓他陷入麻煩的話。他甚至曾被轟出課堂好幾次。最終，他的問題被鑑定為妥瑞氏症，這是中樞神經系統的一種症狀。
When Brad was growing up in the 1980s, most people had never heard of Tourette Syndrome. They mostly reacted negatively to Brad's behavior. He was teased and bullied in school, and the lack of support and understanding among his teachers was hurtful. "My teacher made me get up in front of the class and apologize to everybody for the noises I was making," Brad recalls. It was the negative experience that made him decide to be a teacher. What's more, he wanted to become the type of teacher who understood students with his condition.
當 Brad 在 1980 年代成長時，大多數人從未聽過妥瑞氏症。他們通常對 Brad 的行為做出負面反應。他在學校遭到戲弄和霸凌，而老師間缺乏支持和理解相當傷人。Brad 回憶說：「我的老師叫我站在全班面前，為我製造的噪音向所有人道歉。」就是這種負面經驗使他決定成為一名教師。此外，他想成為那種了解有同樣疾病學生的教師類型。
After graduating from university and getting a teaching qualification, Brad moved to Atlanta in search of work as an elementary school teacher. He had many interviews with school administrators, but his Tourette symptoms always made an unwelcome appearance. He was rejected by 24 schools before the principal of a school in Cobb County, Georgia hired him to teach the second and third grades.
從大學畢業並獲得教師資格後，Brad 搬到亞特蘭大，尋找小學教師的工作。他接受許多學校行政主管的面試，但他的妥瑞氏症症狀總是不被樂見。在喬治亞州科布郡的一所學校校長聘用他教二、三年級前，他被二十四所學校拒絕。
Brad's passion for teaching and concern for his students quickly won their respect and admiration. He also made sure that Tourette Syndrome didn't get in the way by explaining it to his classes at the beginning of each year. In time, he won teaching awards and eventually became an administrator himself, supervising other teachers. He wrote the book to describe his experiences and offer encouragement to other Tourette sufferers.
Brad 對教學的熱情和對學生的關懷很快贏得他們的尊重和欽佩。每學年開始的時候，他也會向他的班級進行說明，保證妥瑞氏症不會妨礙課程。不久後，他贏得教學獎項，最後自己還成為行政主管，督導其他老師。他寫這本書來描述他的經歷，並鼓勵其他妥瑞氏症患者。
There is no cure for Tourette Syndrome, but Brad Cohen has learned to live with it. His effort and determination have taken him along a career path that few people believed would suit him. By being open and honest about his disorder, Brad hopes to instill confidence in children that may feel different and show them they can still be successful. In Brad's own words, "I want these children to say, 'If Mr. Cohen can do it, then so can I.'"
妥瑞氏症是無法治癒的，不過 Brad Cohen 已經學會與此病和平共存。他的努力和決心使他走上一條幾乎無人認為會適合他的職業道路。藉由公開且坦誠面對他的病症，Brad 希望以此向那些感覺自己異於常人的孩子灌輸信心，向他們證明，成功依舊可期。套用 Brad 自己的話來說：「我希望這些孩子說出：『若 Cohen 先生能做到，那我也可以。』」
