below: Georgia Meyer, Daisy Kanode and Jaiden Papik
Studying the Candidates
Rhoda Wahl, Exeter-Milligan ELA 7-12
The
7th Grade English class, at Exeter-Milligan School, are watching the
Republican candidates with new interest. During their unit on multi-paragraph
writing strategies, they read an autobiographical account about Ben Carson’s
grade school years. Their discoveries are shared below in excerpts from several
original essays.
Ben’s Fifth Grade Year
By Cammie Harrison
Ben Carson went from the bottom of
the class to the top of the class in 1-½ years. No one thought he would ever
become a brain surgeon. But let’s start from the beginning. Ben Carson
was the dummy of the class. He always got a ‘’0’’ on his math test. He
didn’t like math tests because he had to pass his paper to the person
behind him, so she could check his work. When he got his paper back his score
was ‘’0’’ as normal. He thought if he mumbled, ‘’nnnnnn’’ then he wouldn’t have
to say his grade out loud. But the teacher thought he said, “nine.’’ She raved
about his score for five minutes until a girl behind Ben Carson said he got
none. She was so embarrassed she just sat down. Ben Carson was so embarrassed.
Everyone agreed that Ben Carson was the dumbest person in the 5th grade class.
No they thought he was the dumbest person in the world.
Ben’s Mother Has a Plan
by Jaiden Papik
Ben’s mom prayed for wisdom that
night and she definitely got it. She had a great idea. The next she said,” Turn
off the TV !!!!” Ben and his brother both had to read to big books a week and
submit a report to her for each one. They were both extraordinarily unhappy
about this arrangement, but finally started getting used to this new schedule.
They were to stay inside and read. When the other ladies came to chat with
Ben’s mom, they would tell her that her boys need to be outside playing so they
can develop their muscles, but she disagreed. In the end it was probably a good
thing. Ben read books about many subjects and after a while, he had read every
book in the Detroit Public Library. It seemed like he knew almost everything.
A Science Surprise
By Clint Oldehoeft
One
regular day in class, the teacher brought an exclusive rock. It was a hefty,
glossy, and jet black. The teacher set the weird boulder on his desk. He then
asked what the rock was called. Ben hesitated to say the answer. None of smart
kids answered and none of the other kids answered this was his chance to prove
he was smart. He raised his hand and said, “That’s obsidian.” The class ceased
to speak they didn’t know whether to laugh or applaud. The teacher said,
“That’s correct, this is obsidian!” The class was dumbfounded. Ben said to
himself, “Ben what if you studied things like this in school like math,
science, or social studies?” Ben was now the smartest in the class. Kids came
to him when they needed help on their homework. Ben Carson today is a brain
surgeon who is also running for president.
The Value of Reading
By Brock Stueben
After Ben Carson read all those books he became the
smartest in the class. He believed that he was smart so he became smart. As he
got smarter people started to ask him for help. He made it from the bottom of
the class to the top of the class in 1.5 years.
