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>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. COMING UP ON 7:15 ON THIS
MONDAY MORNING.
MONDAY MORNING. HE'S BEEN ON OPRAH, IN PEOPLE
THE MAGAZINE, AND EVEN HAD A
TV MOVIE MADE ABOUT HIM.
WHY?
WHY?
WHY? BECAUSE HE HAS TOURETTES WHICH
SAUCING HIM TO HAVE
UNCONTROLLABLE MOVEMENTS.
UNCONTROLLABLE MOVEMENTS. YOU CAN HEAR HIM NOW BECAUSE
HE'S JOINING US.
LONG-TIME 2nd GRADE TEACHER,
NOW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL IN
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA. BRAD COHAN, AND A LONG TIME
FRIEND OF MINE, THANK YOU FOR
COMING IN.
COMING IN. >> IT'S MY HONOR TO BE HERE.
YOU TOLD ME LAST NIGHT YOUR
TICKS DIDN'T START UNTIL 4th
GRADE.
GRADE.
GRADE. WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FROM THAT
POINT ON.
POINT ON.
POINT ON. >> I STARTED TO MAKE WEIRD
NOISES, AND I QUICKLY REALIZED
I HAD A MEDICAL CONDITION
CALLED TOURETTE SYNDROME.
I HAD TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. TEACHERS WERE MEAN TO ME.
I GOT BULLIED BY OTHER
STUDENTS, AND I HAD TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO PLAY THE GAME OF
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. I
LIFE. I TRIED MY HARDEST TO BE LIKE
EVERYONE ELSE, BUT IT JUST
DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY.
>> BUT YOU HAVE A REALLY
INSPIRATIONAL STORY, AND YOU
TOOK THE HUGE CHALLENGE OF
HAVING THIS HAPPEN TO YOU IN
4th GRADE, AND THEN YOU REALLY
BECAME FAMOUS ON OPRAH AND
PEOPLE MAGAZINE, AND THIS
MOVIE BEING MADE ABOUT YOU.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
>> SO, I KNEW I HAD A STORY,
AND I NEEDED TO SHARE IT WITH
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. I
PEOPLE. I DECIDED TO PUT MY WORDS DOWN
INTO A BOOK, AND I WROTE THE
BOOK ABOUT HOW TOURETTES
SYNDROME MADE ME THE TEACHER I
NEVER HAD.
NEVER HAD. HALLMARK WANTED TO DO A MOVIE
ABOUT IT, AND OPRAH WANTED TO
HAVE ME ON.
I THINK THEY WANTED TO SHARE
PEOPLE HAVE DISABILITIES AND
CHALLENGES IN LIFE.
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE
DISABILITIES, IT'S WHAT YOU DO
WITH IT.
WITH IT.
WITH IT. I CHOSE TO ACCEPT IT.
I DECIDED I WAS GOING TO
EDUCATE AS MANY PEOPLE AS I
COULD, STARTING OFF AS A 2nd
GRADE TEACHER, AND JUST
TEACHING KIDS THAT THEY CAN GO
OUT THERE AND FOLLOW THEIR
DREAMS, MUCH LIKE I WAS ABLE
TO FOLLOW MINE TO BECOME THE
TEACHER I NEVER HAD.
>> YOU TALK ABOUT CHALLENGES
AS KID, WHAT ABOUT CHALLENGES
NOW, WHAT'S IT LIKE TO LIVE
WITH TOURETTE IN YOUR 40s.
>> IT'S NOT EASY.
YOU GO INTO THE RESTAURANT,
AND PEOPLE STARE AT YOU.
ON THE AIRPLANE, NO ONE WANTS
TO SIT NEXT TO YOU.
I GET KICKED OUT OF MOVIES
BECAUSE IT'S NOT A PLACE FOR
PEOPLE WHO MAKE A LOT OF
NOISE.
NOISE.
NOISE. I
NOISE. I WANT TO BE LIKE EVERYONE
ELSE.
ELSE.
ELSE. I
ELSE. I HAVE A FAMILY.
I HAVE A WONDERFUL WIFE WHO
BELIEVES IN ME, AND I HAVE TWO
AMAZING KIDS IN 1st AND 3rd
GRADE, AND I TRY TO BE LIKE
ANY OTHER PARENT AND SHOW MY
KIDS DESPITE THE CHALLENGES I
HAVE, I CAN BE A GREAT DAD.
>> HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO HAVE
THAT CONFIDENCE TO BE ABLE TO
OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE AND
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND
SILENCE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
EITHER MAKING COMMENTS OR
STARING AT YOU OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT?
LIKE THAT? >> AT AN EARLY AGE I DIDN'T
WANT TOURETTES TO WOMEN.
PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW
THEY WANTED SYMPATHY AND THEY
WANTED PEOPLE TO FEEL SORRY
FOR THEM FOR THEIR MEDICAL
CONDITION, AND I DIDN'T WANT
TO BE THAT PERSON.
MY MOM TAUGHT ME, WE HAVE TO
HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND
WE ARE GOING TO PERSEVERE
THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES,
FOLLOW YOUR PASSIONS, AND BE
THE BEST YOU CAN BE.
AGAIN, I JUST NEVER WANTED MY
TOURETTES TO WIN.
THERE WERE SO MANY TIMES I
WENT ON THE INTERVIEW TO
BECOME A TEACHER, AND PEOPLE
SAID I COULDN'T DO IT, AND I
DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK BACK AND
SAY I CAN'T BE A TEACHER
BECAUSE OF TOURETTES, AND
ULTIMATELY MY 25th INTERVIEW,
HIRED AS A 2nd GRADE TEACHER.
>> MOVIE WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS
AGO, AND IT'S POWERFUL,
EMPOWERING, AND YOU CAN SEE
THE STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS,
AND NOW YOU SPEAK ACROSS THE
COUNTRY TO DIFFERENT GROUPS OF
KIDS.
KIDS.
KIDS. YOU'RE SPEAKING IN RENTON.
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE
KIDS, THE TEACHERS, AND THE
PARENTS THAT ARE WATCHING YOU
SPEAK.
SPEAK.
SPEAK. >>
SPEAK. >> IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO
KNOW I HAVE A DISABILITY, AND
THEY MAY HAVE A DISABILITY OR
CHALLENGE, TOO, AND I WANT
THEM TO LOOK AT SOMEONE AND
KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE, AND
THERE'S A CHAMPION OUT THERE
FIGHTING FOR THEM, AND AT THE
SAME TIME, THEY NEED TO KNOW
THEY CAN OVERCOME THEIR
CHALLENGES, AND THEY CAN
FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS DESPITE
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY, AND
REALLY TO EDUCATORS, TO REMIND
THEM, IT'S WHAT I CALL, THE
POWER OF 1, AND IT TAKES ONE
PERSON TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD.
I CHALLENGE TEACHERS TO BE
THERE FOR THAT KID THAT COULD
BE IN EVERY SINGLE CLASSROOM.
>> YOU BROUGHT A PICTURE FROM
1992.
1992.
1992. THAT'S YOU IN THE UPPER LEFT
CORNER, ME IN THE RIGHT, AND
THAT'S A TEDDY BEAR THAT WAS
OUR TRIP MASCOT OR SOMETHING.
I DON'T REMEMBER.
>> THAT'S OUR SUMMER OF 1992.
>> THANK YOU FOR EMBARRASSING