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| Dr. Benjamin Carson |
The world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and conservative grew up in a single-parent household in a Detroit ghetto, with his mother only having a third-grade education and some mental health issues. He was one of the worst students in his middle school. However, Mama cut off the TV in their home and insisted that her kids do daily book reports, and the rest is history: "Chance plays a large part in everyone’s life. The home in which you are raised is often a big part of luck being on your side or against you. But you don’t need parents with Ph.D.s to make sure that you make the most of your education.
The kinds of things that statisticians can measure, such as family income or parents’ education, are not the crucial things. The family’s attitude toward education and toward life can make all the difference."
He adds about Dr. Carson's inspirational life story: "Virtually everything was against young Ben Carson except for his mother’s attitudes and values. But, armed with her outlook, he was able to fight his way through many battles, including battles to control his own temper, as well as against external obstacles.
Today, Dr. Benjamin Carson is a renowned neurosurgeon at a renowned institution, Johns Hopkins University. But what got him there was wholly different from what is being offered to many ghetto youths today, much of which is not merely futile but counterproductive."
