Dr.Ben Carson Reads to Lower School
Renowned Neurosurgeon, Presidential Candidate, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson came to FWCD on Tuesday, September 21, to read his soon-to-be-published first children’s book Why America Matters to Lower School students. In the 20-minute program, Dr. Carson and his wife, Candy, shared some insight and took turns reading the book together. The centerpiece of the book is the American flag, which is featured, along with the bald eagle, on each page of the book in some fashion: “The flag’s our country’s symbol. We hold it dear to our heart, reminding us of values that have mattered from the start,” Dr. Carson wrote.
Head of School Eric Lombardi introduced Dr. Carson to the first-graders sitting in the Lower School Atrium, with grades 2-4 Zooming in from their classrooms. “Dr. Carson has authored 10 books, some for grownups, one actually about his life, and that was turned into a movie,” Lombardi shared. “He credits his career and success in life to reading books.”
Before reading the book, Dr. Carson shared, “I remember when I was a youngster your age, believe it or not. It was so exciting learning new things all the time. Growing up and traveling around the world, I have been to 68 different countries and lived overseas also. I’ll tell you, even though there are a lot of wonderful places around the world, there’s no place like home.”
Candy also shared a fun fact with the students: “Did you know … your brain can process 2 million bits of information every second,” she said. “If you learn one fact every second, how long will it take to overload your brain? The science says it will take you 3 million years to even start to overload your brain.” Candy encouraged students to seek help and know that there are support systems in place for them to accomplish their goals.
Following the reading, Lombardi posed a few questions to Dr. Carson, who shared that he read books as a young child and was a “terrible student.” His mother, who almost finished third grade, knew that reading and education were important. His mother made him read, and he went from being the “worst student in the class to the best student in the class.” Reading gave him the ability to go anywhere, be anybody, and do anything.
When asked what his favorite part of the book he read to the students is, he shared, “My favorite part is the American flag because it is so important and represents the blood, sweat and tears of so many people who died so we could be free.”
