Blog Post #6

Randy Pauch's Last Lecture

Before I begin identifying the key elements in Dr. Pauch's lecture, I must begin by saying how positive he was by this being his last lecture. He automatically started off explaining his health problems and despite him knowing that he was not going to be here much longer, he still welcomed everyone to his lecture with his humor. Dr. Pauch's key elements that he started off in his lecture were the following:
*My childhood dreams
*Enabling the dreams of others
*Lessons learned; how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of someone else.
One of the many important statements that Dr. Pauch made was that enabling others to achieve their goals is more rewarding than enabling your own. Even though I have so much to learn, I can identify and agree with him on that statement. The fact of you knowing that you helped someone achieve something that was important to them is indeed rewarding in itself. Putting yourself aside to help others is always and will always be the good road to go upon. Especially in the education field. Teachers put themselves aside everyday to make sure their students' academic needs are met. We as future educators need to hold on to that and apply that in our classrooms that we will soon have.
Dr. Pauch mentioned a lesson that he learned while on the football team when he was younger, and he mentioned that his coach always seemed as if he was constantly always onto him. No matter how hard he tried, it just seemed like whatever he did was not enough. Dr. Pauch realized that was because his coach saw potential in him and wanted him to do his absolute best. The same thing happend to me, minus being on the football team. When I was younger, I did not understand why my teachers were always onto me, but now I understand. Just as Dr. Pauch mentioned, if someone sees you doing something wrong and they do not say anything to correct you, that is bad. It is not necessarily because the teacher or whomever is picking on you just because, but merely it is because they care and want you to be the best at everything you do. Children do not really understand, but as they become older and a little more wiser they will grow to understand.
One of the many quotes that Dr. Pauch stated was "Experience is what you get when you did not get what you wanted". If you think about it, this is so very true. I immediately took this statement and applied it to some of my past experiences. As I did this, I found myself agreeing with Dr. Pauch. We sometimes do things in place of other things, and even though we are experiencing some situations we do not want to, we end up appreciating it in the end. I loved the analogy that he used with the brick wall to things that we want. Dr. Pauch mentioned that the brick walls are there to stop those who do not want whatever it is that they are trying to get to bad enough. If your heart is truly set on something regardless of the obstacles that come along, you will conquer it. think about it; if our goals were "easy" to achieve, we would not appreciate them. If something is worth having, you have to fight for it.
Dr. Pauch goes back to his statement about enabling others' dreams. Being an educator is the perfect job for that. How wonderful and exciting is it to look in your students' faces knowing that you are apart of helping them succeed? I cannot wait to experience that! As future educators, that will be our job. We are here to help, encourage, and make sure our students know that the sky is the limit for them. Whatever their dreams and aspirations are it is up to us to help and make sure they reach them.
I can only imagine the wonderful feeling of helping my students have fun while learning a challenging lesson. Experiences like that are what stays with a student for a lifetime. As educators, it is our job to make learning as fun as possible, especially if the lesson is a bit challenging. Dr. Pauch continues to make other key points in his lecture and they are the following:
*Lessons learned
The roles of parents, mentors, and students
As stated by Andy van Dam, who was basically Dr. Pauch's first boss, I would like to think of myself when I become a teacher, of "selling something worthwhile as education". That phrase is stuck in my head! Yes a car, shoes, clothing and all of that is wonderful to have but education is something no one can take from you. Education is so priceless and so valuable. I am very proud to be apart of the education field and I cannot wait to start selling it to my students! Dr. Pauch compared having fun or not having fun to Tigger and Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. I, myself, am an Tigger. Just like Dr. Pauch stated, I do not know how not to have fun. There should be enjoyment in everything we do, especially in education. Dr. Pauch made more key elements. They are:
*Never lose the child-like wonder
*Help others
*Loyalty is a two-way street
*Never give up (my favorite)
*Brick walls let us show our dedication
*Show gratitude
*Don't complain; just work harder
*Be good at something; it makes you valuable
*Find the best in everybody
*Be prepared
*You can't get there alone
*Tell the truth
*Be earnest
*Apologize when you've made a mistake
*Focus on others, not yourself
Dr. Pauch had "head fakes" through out his lecture. The head fake of this lecture was not, according to Dr. Pauch, how to achieve your dreams; it was about how to live a good life. If you do right, right will follow you, and your dreams will also. The second head fake that Dr. Pauch revealed that touched my heart, was that this lecture was not for us, but for his children. The main thing that I learned from this lecture was regardless of the situation at hand that you are facing, never allow that to defeat you. Dr. Pauch knew how bad his health condition was, but yet he continued to make jokes and enjoy each moment that he had. He is an inspiration, and I truly enjoyed watching his lecture. Life is what we make it; it is up to us to make the best out of it.