Local Author Brings Words Of Inspiration To OKCPS Students

A local author paid a visit to nearly 800 OKCPS students as a part of the OKCPS Foundation’s ReadOKC initiative.

In addition to a free copy of his book, the author also brought words of inspiration gained through his own hardship.

“I had spent, from 8 years old until I graduated high school, essentially in 17 foster homes, 3 institutions and a boy’s ranch,” says author Alton Carter.

Carter is the author of The Boy Who Carried Bricks – which was a title based on his experience on that boy’s ranch.

On Tuesday, he brought along a copy of his book The Boy Who Dreamed Big. It is based on his own story of overcoming his circumstances.

He shared his story with the 3rd grade and 4th grade classes at Spencer Elementary.

The book is an homage to the person who helped him see beyond circumstances.

“When I think about my 4th grade teacher, without a doubt that was the biggest difference,” says Carter.

That teacher he says was Mrs. Thompson. The poem in the book was written for her.

“Students that have been exposed to a lot of trauma, one of the things that we know is that it robs them of their ability to imagine themselves doing anything differently than what they’ve seen,” he points out.

He says Mrs. Thompson helped him see his own dream.

“I dreamed of something I never had,” Carter says. “I just wanted to be a dad. That was my goal in life just to be a good dad.”

It was a message of hope for students, and a message of encouragement for the teachers that foster those students’ dreams. 

“It’s not our job to save these students,” says Carter. “It’s our job to give them a seed of hope so that they can save themselves.”

The ReadOKC initiative is in partnership with OU Health, which says it understands the difference reading makes in the trajectory of a child’s life.

OKC Foundation and OU Health hope that both the program and Carter’s story will inspire a love of reading and a desire to dream big.