Inspiration...

How much do you watch TV? Me?? A lot....sad to admit lah...hehee..but yesterday I sort of needed or wanted to watch TV as it was sort of a break for me from printing after printing of materials for Ridhwan's pre-writing exercises....it took me such a long time as I wanted quality materials and if possible coloured materials, which is susahnya nak cariiii! So, after much thinking, and frustration, I decide, oh well, buat sendiri je lah..besides having gone to Shichida last time would help me to get some ideas to prepare Ridhwan's writing material ya..Insya-Allah...

Anyway, back to the story of TV....last night I watched a movie called 'Front of the class'...I actually saw it a few days ago...the ending that is..couldn't understand it actually..yelah, saw for 2 minutes, the movie finished...hehee...then a day after that saw it again or actually glanced at it since my dad was changing channels ...in my mind...hmmm, menarik movie nie, why is that boy doing that yea? but still didn't watch it....then, last night, I got to sit down and actually watch it! Woohooo! You see, the movie is a very simple movie but soooo inspirational for me...the movie is about a young boy's journey in dealing with his condition called Tourette syndrome....a little explanation of the movie and Touretter is given as below ya...

Brad Cohen is a motivational speaker and an award-winning teacher and author who has severe Tourette syndrome (TS).Cohen described his experiences growing up with the condition in his book, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, co-authored with Lisa Wysocky. The book has been made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie titled Front of the Class.

During his childhood, Cohen was accused of being a troublemaker in school and was punished by his teachers for the tics and noises caused by TS. He decided to "become the teacher that he never had". After he graduated and received his teaching certificate, 24 elementary schools rejected him before he was hired at Mountain View Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia. As a new teacher, he was named Georgia's First Class Teacher of the Year.

Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette's syndrome, Tourette's disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourette's or TS) is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane. Tourette's is defined as part of a spectrum of tic disorders, which includes transient and chronic tics.

Anyway, these is just a summary of the movie, what made me inspired from the movie was the dedication in Brad Cohen's mother to find the cause of his 'tics' and his behaviour which his father sad to say always kept thinking was his own doing out of spite when in actual fact he had no control of it whatsoever...I really felt pity and sad when he was treated badly by other teachers during interviews and even students when he was young...and realised how ignorant we human can be...but his mother is someone you can't help admiring for she instilled in her son the will to fight his syndrom and prevail above all despite the 'disabilities' he was facing and the way the society reacts towards him...that...really saddens me...that made me cry...yes, society my friend...a scene that realy made an impact to me in the movie which made me see there are still some hope in the society hopefully..and malaysian society I hope...though I am doubting it though....anyway, the scene was when Brad's teacher send him to the principal's room after he was considered disrupting the class with his 'tics' which sound like barking at times, and yelping...he has no control of it for goodness sake you moron! Oopps sorry for the language..I can't help saying that to the teacher character in that movie who send him to the principal's office as it is so obvious how ignorant he is....well, when Brad waited for the principal, the principal came out of the office to meet Brad and looked very upset...and asked Brad "what is school for?" ....Brad just looked at him...and the principal himself answered the question...he said "to educate.....to teach knowledge to eliminate ignorance..." (i think the word is eliminate or somewhat similar meaning) and then he asked Brad to come to some school orchestra later during school that day...and Brad initially said no cause he'd disrupt it with his 'noises' as he calls it...but the principal insisted...and so he went...and of course, during the orchestra playing, he couldn't help himself by making all the tics sounds and other kids were shhhhh-ing him all the way...it looked so sad at that time cause he really couldn't help doing it....then right after the music finished, the principal called Brad to the stage and asked the audience "did you hear the noise just now?" the students said yes...he even pointed who made the sounds....at that time, Brad looked pretty upset and is making even more tics sounds....then the principal said " come up here Brad Cohen..." and he asked him one question at a time...why Brad did it...he said its a neurological disorder...why does he not take medications?..Brad says there is no cure for it....why didn't he stop it...and so forth...which he is indirectly telling or teaching the teachers and students why Brad was behaving in such a way...and one question that made me smile was when he asked Brad "What can we do Brad to help you with the syndrome....what can the whole school do to help..." ...that made me cry.....why?.. here was a principal indirectly educating his staffs and students to learn about why this young boy is behaving that way which is out of his control and has no cure, and most of all, he cares....he actually cares how Brad was feeling...and he was eliminating ignorance in his school....ignorance which our society has yet to overcome...which made me cry even more as I straight away thought of Ridhwan...his future....his interaction with the society when he is older....the fear..of how peoples ignorance could actually weaken him at times and saddens him just as Brad felt in his many rejected interviews to become a teacher....BUT..yes the but, Brad was an example that dreams do come true, he wanted to become a teacher, he became one! He overcomed peoples ignorance by being very positive and answering all their ignorance in a well mannered way...he overcome his Tourette by explaining to other teachers and students..and eventually earning their trust and most of all respect.. for being brave and daring to reach his dreams despite having to deal with his condition...that made me really cry like mad as that is so inspirational for a man to be strong despite his 'disabilities' as some may call it...but his condition is also a blessing for him and his strength to face the ruthless ignorant world we have these days....

For that, I am so inspired with Brad's strength and achivement that I do hope that Ridhwan too will have that confident, that strength, that patience when he grows up one day....and I know, I need to be that mother that Brad's mother is... to always be there for him, give hope and confidence in him...and of course unconditional love....Though, I know our society still lacks or are so ignorant of the brain-injured people out there...and that saddens me a lot....I have heard of many stories mothers are having problem even sending a child to a kindergarten so the child may interact, socialize and learn...all they want is to learn ...please...why deprive them from that?...why say no just because his head is small..why sat no cause he's autistic...why say no cause he keeps asking to much questions...why say no just because he can't walk...why say no beacuse he can't see....whys say no just because you yourself don't understand what cerebral palsy is or microcephalic is....why?? why?? you answer me you ignorant so-called educators out there!! ...sorry, got a bit emotional ya....hehee...but, these are what we brain-injured/special needs parents are facing, going to face or have faced....so may Allah give strength to these parents and most of all to the child...to just do what he/she wants to do and would like to achieve and not let their disability and society's ignorance to hinder them from doing whatever they want to do or be....

It made me think too you know....you say you want to be a teacher...but think again...why do you want to be a teacher? to educate yes...but is there a clause somewhere that says..I only want to educate normal children..normal students...normal....then, what about the brain-injured ones? ...as an educator, shouldn't they have the priviledge and chance to learn and be educated too? Just because the child has ADD or ADHD or autistic, you suddenly indirectly write in your resume "will teach except to special needs" ....hmmm?? ....I beg teachers out there or future teachers out there please think back of why you want to be an educator ...the principal who made Brad's day in the movie is a man who deserves his title "an educator" ..as he himself said, "you go to school to get an education....to get knowledge...to eliminate ignorance..." ...so whenever you see a brain injured/special needs child...think of how he/she sometimes feel frustrated not being able to learn certain things at a normal pace as other childrens are doing.....think of how, he/she would love to play and learn just like their so-called normal peers..think of how, they are actually struggling and have to work harder to do what is called simple but could be darn difficult to them...

So, my dear friends...I urge you to educate yourself...I myself am still educating myself too...educate your children about how the world out there isn't exactly a perfect one, BUT...can be a better place for your child and someone elses brain injured child ...cause you know, you learn, you have educate yourself about the many differences between a brain injured child and a normal one..but at the end of the day...they all want the same thing....to be educated...to be learned...to have knowledge..to live together with everyone else...to have a life...a meanigful life.....

Excuse me for some of my languages ya...but seeing the movie really made me think hard and how our society lacks the education in special needs...and if I can just share a bit of how a special needs parent feel and experience...I hope you will have some idea of how Ridhwan or in general brain injured children are facing and will face in future..and please try to help them as much as you can, stop staring at them, don't open your mouth and gap at them, don't run away from them seeing them in their wheelchairs or funny shoes or apparatus on them....but smile....yes...smile...smile at their parents...smile at the child...and most of all...bersyukur....syukur banyak2x that you are normal and you have a normal child....be thankful to Allah that you are blessed with a child and pray that your child one day will make a difference in the future and never let them be ignorant around the special ones...the special needs ones....wallahualam....