Comments on: What’s The BIG Deal?

By: Christine Iwema

Christine Iwema — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:49:08 +0000

I really enjoyed reading how the way children look at things compared
to adults. A nine-year-old child is asked how he was doing his school
works and he spits back out that he has more than one sense. I really
love the attitude that Brad Collen has. It is a wonderful way to see
that children are able to try things in different ways, adapt and stretch
themselves.

By: Megan V.

Megan V. — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:48:02 +0000

Dear Mr. Brad Cohen,
Thank you so much for posting this encouraging story! It was very inspirational. And it truly is amazing how kids look on the bright side. Sometimes, I think, as adults we tend to just move forward in life and tend to consentrate on the bad side of things. I wish we all would just take a step back in life and look at what we have done so far and look forward to the future to our future accomplishments. I love to see the joy in children’s eyes when they accomplish new things, and my hope is to show this same joy in my life.

By: Courtney Kats

Courtney Kats — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:53:42 +0000

Mr. Cohen,
Thank you being a great example of strength and perseverance. The story about the 9 year old boy is so refreshing because in today’s world so many people focus on life’s negatives, most of learning disabled children are told what they cant do, but I love the people with a positive attitude who push past that stigma and point out the positives and what they can do. Your story has inspired me as a future teacher to always look for what my students can do, and push them to reach their fullest potential. You are a great inspiration and I hope you continue to educate people about how to look past disabilities.
Courtney

By: Jori Dotson

Jori Dotson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:41:34 +0000

Mr. Cohen,
Your story is truly an amazing one! I am a junior at Trinity Christian College and really enjoyed hearing about your life story in the video clip that we watched in class last week.This story is truly insparational as well. It’s great that this student was able to look past his disabilities and focused more on his abilities. I think as a future teacher it is important to realize that we should emphasize the abilities of the students and help them to realize that every student has potential to learn. It’s important that teachers are able to look past the students disability and help them to become the best student that they can be.
Thanks for sharing your story with us!

By: Kathy Urbanowicz

Kathy Urbanowicz — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:09:43 +0000

Your story was truly inspirational. I really enjoyed the story above because it goes to show that children are resilient and they tend to look at the brighter side of things. Also, it is a great reminder that children will continue to move forward despite the obstacles they have to face. A postive attitude truly goes a long way and this story makes you realize that it is easier to go through life being optimistic rather than pessimistic. Lastly, I agree that parents should LISTEN to their children rather than always assume they need help. Communication is extremely important and parents should allow their children to explore on their own because that is the best way for a child to learn the real world. Thanks again for sharing your story with us!
Kathy U

By: Rachel VandeKamp

Rachel VandeKamp — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:13:04 +0000

Mr. Brad Cohen,
Thanks so much for sharing this story with us! It was a great reminder that we sometimes underestimate the power and strength of a child! As a future educator, this really showed me that I need to give my students time and the confidence they need to figure out these important life lessons on their own. I need to let them find their strength and if they communicate that they need help then I can step in. Until then I need to be there for them and listen and know the difference between them just wanting to talk and them crying out for help. Thanks again I appreciate the reminder!
Rachel

By: Laura Roose

Laura Roose — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:06:09 +0000

Mr. Cohen,
This story is a continual reminder that we should always streatch our students. Expect the most out of your students and do not let them take the easy way out. Continue to challenge your students; just because someone may have a learning disability does not mean they cannot learn. Not challenging your students is in itself a learning disability. In order to provide an achievable challenge you are right: “communication is key.” You need to be able to hear what the student can do and then set their goals for a little higher than that. If you are continually presenting a challenge, you will continue to see your students develop!

By: Melissa Voss

Melissa Voss — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:14:38 +0000

Mr. Cohen,
What an inspirational and thought-provoking story. I enjoyed reading the short story and your response because it showed me again the importance of believing in an individual. Often in our society we tend to focus on the lack of abilities or things that we do wrong in our lives. It is vital to look at students in a positive life and believe in their abilities. As a future special education teacher, I was touched by how you shared that children “figure it out and make it work”. In my experiences, so often parents and teachers alike, tend to worry about the disability and how it affects the student/child’s life that we underestimate the student’s abilites. However, like you said, we need to believe in the student and have a positive attitude. Thanks again for sharing this story. Blessings to you and your family.

By: Margaret Miller

Margaret Miller — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:45:31 +0000

Mr. Cohen,

We just watched a video clip of your story in class the other day, and it was such an inspiration to see you overcome so much in your life. I really liked the story above because it is so true that parents should not enable their child too much so the children can learn and do things on their own to become more independent. As a future teacher I need to remember that my students are capable of more than people think, and let them figure things out on their own. Something like the eye tics were a real concern for the parent, but the child did not let that affect him and he was always looking on the bright side. In the future I hope that I can encourage all of my students to stay positive no matter what their situation is. It was really nice hearing your story and I hope to read your book in the near future! Thanks for being such an inspiration to so many people!

By: Nikki Coates

Nikki Coates — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:46:17 +0000

Your story is truly an inspiration. I admire you for continuing your dream even with doubts from some. This can be taken into everyday life. If you truly want something no matter the case you have to fight for it. Some things will not always be handed to you and some will look down upon you but you just have to have faith and believe in your dream and keep trying. It reminds me of the saying ‘fall down 7 times get up 8.’ I truly believe that you can be knocked down numerous of times but if you truly want something you’ll go for it.

I also loved the story of the little boy who told his mom that he could still hear. It just makes me remember to look at the bright side of everything. As long as your positive nothing can knock you down.