"Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable."
- Brenda Yeland (from The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron)

A Letter to the Teacher -"It's All About Strength" All About Your Interests and Your Strengths

Ben Carson was failing fifth grade. Some called him the dumbest kid in class. Growing up, he struggled with a violent temper. His mother only had a third-grade education, but she required him to read two books a week and write book reports despite her illiteracy.

"I was the worst student you could imagine," he told a group of sixth graders in Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions' auditorium. "My favorite subject was recess. Fortunately for me, I had a mother who believed I was smart."

Ben listened to his mother and made some changes in his life. Why was he talking to a group of students at a medical institution? Because he grew up to become the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate Siamese twins connected at the brain. Ben explains that he was eight years old when he felt the pull to practice medicine. It all began with a fascination for studying the brain and how it works.

Today, this distinguished African-American neurosurgeon suggests that you find out what your gifts are by doing some self-examination. He suggests you compile a list and actually do some self-study. He believes that if you think big, your dreams will be realized.

Link to WiseOwl to view several different articles about Dr. Carson, see his picture, and discover the meaning behind his famous acronym:

THINK BIG

Here's how to find Ben Carson in WiseOwl. (It is a good idea to print these directions before linking to WiseOwl.)

Disclaimer: These step-by-step directions are subject to change as resources within NC WiseOwl are updated, revised or removed. Every effort will be made to keep them current.

1. Go to NC WiseOwl.
2. Select Magazine Database to go to InfoTrac.
3. If asked for a password, type wiseowl.
4. Choose the Junior Edition.
5. Type Ben Carson in the search box.
6. As of August, 2003, you can access the following article containing text and pictures.

Dr. Ben Carson: top surgeon's life-and-death struggle with prostate cancer.
(Interview) Ebony Jan 2003 v58 i3 p38(3) Fiche Coll.: 112M1105. (1353 words)