Blog Post #6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture




     After reflecting on Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, it is clear to see what an inspiration he has been to myself and millions of others around the world. In this last lecture, Randy speaks on many different topics, both personal and professional. There are many things that he discussed that are worthy of repeating, and definitely worthy of remembrance in my future career as a teacher, mentor, and leader. We all have dreams, whether big or small, we all have them. Everyone should have the permission to dream. Randy sees this in his own life as he communicates his childhood dreams. Sometimes we have stepping stones to jump over before we can achieve goal or task. "Brick walls", man oh man they seem to be put up everywhere when you feel like you are close to achieving success. Brick walls are there to push you to greatness, and to shut those out who are not willing to work. As an educator and mentor to my students, I will see brick walls and barriers come up in my student's lives, and I will strive to encourage them and lead them.
     I like how Randy compared his life to a football game, and how he mentioned his old coaches. Just as Randy's childhood football coach put boys in unlikely positions, I must think outside the box and think of each student individually and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone. How will you know you could be great at something if you don't try? Enthusiasm. That is a quality I want to possess as a teacher- Randy exhibits enthusiasm. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". This holds true to my heart. Experience is important. Something that I say all the time to my husband is, "The important things are important." Experience is important. Experience is what makes the difference. Even as a very experienced teacher years and years down the road, I will STILL be experiencing so many new things. I will learn from students, just as Randy said.
      It is clear to see that Randy's doings in the virtual reality world are nothing to be just put aside. This man has drive. After applying to different schools, different jobs, and whatever else he could get his hands on- he was sometimes denied. He never gave up. I must strive to never give up on my students. If I stop critiquing them, I have stopped caring, which is a tragedy.
     By bringing together the program Building a Virtual World, Randy was able to bring 50 students from all different programs in the University to make a project-based class that was all group work. This was a huge hit around school. Randy wasn't scared to step out of his comfort zone... he was able to fight for virtual worlds for the sake of educating students in a fun, exciting way! I want my students to have fun while learning. I want them to see that learning is not a passive experience, but an exciting world!
 

  I could seriously type on and on about Randy and his awesome stories and accomplishments. This last lecture is one that I will never forget!