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Mark Albritton
Foundations of Learning
Dr. Harding
6/24/2015

A boy of color, he has no father in his life, he comes to us with

tremendous disadvantages is a quote uttered from an ill willed, racially charged
teacher in the movie Gifted Hands. During the 1960s this circumstance in which
Ben Carson or boy of color, as called by the teacher, found himself in would have
been one very difficult to navigate successfully. Smith gave in his book, Courage &
Calling, two suggestions from Peter Drucker. Drucker suggested (1) do better what
you already do reasonable well, and (2) in response to change new opportunity,
new responsibilitylearn a new skill. (qtd. In Managing the Non-Profit Organization
223). In review of this movie Gifted Hands I will discuss how both suggestions and
other positive characteristics like integrity, perseverance, self-management and
emotional intelligence applied to ones life can alter a destructive
outcome to one of success.
In this film about Dr. Ben Carson you find both he and his brother, under the
enforcement of their mother making a change from passivity toward education to
engagement by striving for knowledge. Reading became the pass time for the day
and knowledge once tasted burned in the lives of these two boys. Not only did the
mother demand excellence from her boys but began to acquire it herself by learning
to read. Both initiatives heed to the suggestions of Drucker.
Covey said this about integrity, The commitments we make to ourselves and
to others, and our integrity to those commitments, in the essence and clearest

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manifestation of our proactivity. This logic played out beautifully as Dr. Carson
made a decision to perform an operation as an intern without permission or
supervision, which could have cost him his career. His proactive integrity saved a
young boys life.
Perseverance was present from the very beginning of this movie. It starts
with a German family who refuses to give up on finding a doctor that could separate
their twin boys who were joined at the head. This theme of perseverance was
wonderfully depicted by Bens mother. She took her two young boys and fled a
marital relationship of abuse and worked very hard to instill Godly values in them as
well as through her devastation began to educate herself by learning to read.
Covey (2) writes a magnificent piece of self-management in his book, the 7
Habits of Highly Effective People. In it he states, The key to effective management
of self, or of others through delegation, is not in any technique or tool or extrinsic
factor. It is intrinsic. This intrinsic motivation of self-management was clearly
displayed when Ben Carson, a college student at Yale, took advice from his then
girlfriend who recommended he skip his lectures and read his text books.
Understanding his learning style was a key element to achieving his desired
educational success.
Emotional Intelligence gracefully engaged the viewer in this movie many
times, but none more than when Bens mother composed herself as her brilliant
son, Ben Cason stood to accept an achievement award and was belittled and made
to feel less than by the teacher I open this paper with. A graceful demeanor, that if
honest, I would not have proven so elegant.

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Half way through the movie Mrs. Carson, Bens mother said this, I have a
darkness I cant control before checking into a clinic. Its chilling to think how the
story of this family and the fate of many others could have been so darkly different
had she not actively chosen to receive help. Her honesty to herself and a decision to
make the positive, necessary actions changed the course of their history.
This inspiring, uplifting movie presented me with incredible hope. Watching
the characters use of self-disciplines helped me understand how I have the power to
change my destiny. In this story, a mothers undying love for her children called for
a change in behavior. This change not only affected her own family but the lives of
people they encountered, now including mine.

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Works Cited Page

Carter, Thomas, dir. Gifted Hands. Perf. Kimberly Elise. Netflix. Web 07, Feb.
2009
Smith, Gordon T., Courage & Calling Embracing your God-Given Potential,
Illinois, InterVarsity Press, 2011, Print
Peter F. Drucker, Managing the Non-Profit organization (New York: HarperCollins, 1990), p. 223.
Covey, Stephen R., The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Power Lessons in
Personal Change, New York, Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print