Carson asks fifth-graders 'Who's the worst student?'
A humorous anecdote backfired on Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson when he asked a group of fifth-grade students at a private school in Cedar Rapids, "Who's the worst student?"
The question, in a crowd of about 500 people at a Thursday campaign rally, prompted immediate finger-pointing toward one student from more than half a dozen classmates at Isaac Newton Christian Academy.
The exchange, which Carson prompted to describe how he felt in elementary school, quickly went viral on social media with a flood of criticism before the event concluded.
The targeted 10-year-old, who initially turned red in the face, ultimately shrugged off the exchange with a sense of humor. His mother, Robin Blackford, who was not present but learned about it through a teacher, said it was unfortunate but seemed mostly harmless.
"As a mother, it kind of saddens me that he would be pointed out like that," she told The Des Moines Register in a phone interview. "Knowing Seth, I think he'd take it in stride … he's very well-liked by all the students."
When questioned by the Register, Carson said he expected a different outcome when he shouted out to the fifth-graders.
"I figured people would be pointing around to all different people who they didn't like,” he told the Register.
It was an atypical addendum to a regular anecdote in his speeches about being labeled “the dumbest person in the world” in grade school. Carson then goes on to describe how he dedicated himself to reading, became a peer mentor in his teens and eventually a highly regarded neurosurgeon.
Here's how the interaction with the crowd in the school’s gymnasium played out:
"As a fifth-grade student, I was a horrible student. Anybody here in fifth grade?," Carson said.
A large group of students all seated together in the bleachers raised their hands.
"Who's the worst student? Now ..." Carson said with a chuckle, pausing for laughs from the crowd, then the finger-pointing.
Carson went on: "Well, let me tell you, if you had asked that question in my classroom, there would have been no doubt."
When asked how he felt, Seth said, "I was laughing," adding that he would vote for Carson if he could. A Carson volunteer immediately found the student in the audience to give him a pat on the back and a copy of Carson's book, "You Have a Brain."
Campaign staff also arranged a quick personal meeting for Seth with Carson backstage before leaving Cedar Rapids.
"You're going to be a neurosurgeon, OK?" Carson told Seth.
Seth's teacher and others in the crowd who knew him said he's not the worst student in his class, but actually is well liked and "a class jokester."
His mother said she assumes that's why he was classmates pointed at him.
"Personally I know he's not the worst," said Blackford, who works as a guidance secretary at a public middle school nearby.
She said the family has watched the "Gifted Hands" movie about Carson's life story and Carson has spoken at their church, where her husband is a pastor. She added she’s an undecided vote and the interaction would not prevent her from supporting Carson.
The Cedar Rapids event was part of three public campaign stops Carson made in Iowa on Thursday.
Compare the Candidates | DesMoinesRegister.com
Ben Carson in Anamosa:
AT THE EVENTS
SETTINGS: Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids; National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa; Precision Signz in Bettendorf.
CROWD: About 500 in gymnasium at school in Cedar Rapids; roughly 150 in Anamosa.
REACTION: It felt like a pep rally in Cedar Rapids with many students and adults waiving signs and applauding with standing ovations; attendees in Anamosa applauded occasionally and had many questions for Carson.
WHAT'S NEXT: This is the end of a two-day swing in Iowa. He will return to Iowa for public events Sunday and Monday.
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