The movie “Gifted Hands” was a good way to see into the life of Ben Carson and what made him the way he is. I enjoyed it very much and it was amazing to see the influences he had around him. He had both good and bad influences in his life and I believe that they made him a stronger person in the world today.

Dr. Carson was surrounded by many kinds of people both good and bad. He had teachers that encouraged him when he was having trouble in his math classes. They supported him by being excited with his progress and even when he didn’t do well on his assignments they acknowledged his trying. His mother always told him that he can do anything anyone else can-encouraging him to go and try to be different and succeed. The bad influences in his life were some very bad “friends” and one extremely racist teacher. The teacher got up and made an announcement to the entire student body that they, as white people, should be ashamed that a boy of color did better than they did. A lesson that we learn from this teacher is that she is everything that a teacher shouldn’t be. That was not the right attitude to have and it wasn’t the time nor place for her to state her opinion. Then there were his “friends” that got him mixed up in all sorts of bad things. They bought a knife in an alley and that turned on a switch to his anger. At one point in the movie, he got extremely angry and attempted to stab another boy. The knife luckily broke before he made contact so no one was seriously hurt. He also had an argument with his mother and picked up a hammer threatening her with it before his brother had to step in before something bad happened. This was an eye opener for Ben and made him turn his life around.

I think the main person that made Dr. Carson who he is today is his mother. She wanted only the best for both of her sons. In order to do that, she needed to be in a good place. She had to work long, hard days to just support them and keep them living. There was never much time for herself and was always sacrificing for them. She went and sought help for her depression so she wouldn’t drag her boys down with her and also learned how to read in order to help them with their homework. A lesson we can learn from his mother is that you should always encourage your children and do what you can to support them in anything they want to do.

This whole movie has motivated me as a future educator. I want to be that teacher that makes a difference in a student’s life. I want to be able to see them grow up and become someone who does something great! The ability to have the knowledge that I was a factor in their success will be a very satisfying feeling to have. Dr. Ben Carson overcame tremendous obstacles. He achieved his success and overcame all of the obstacles by having people around him that challenged and encouraged him every day.