Blog Assignment 6

I hadn’t realized who Randy Pausch was until I began watching Randy Pausch Last Lecture:Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. I was so excited because I had actually seen him years ago on the Oprah show. Shortly after his lecture at Carnegie hall, he gave a shorter version of it on the Oprah show. I never forgot his touching story but did not know his name. Him being such an accomplished person I feel I should have known his name but I was younger. A professor at Carnegie Mellon University is just the beginning of great things he achieved throughout his life. His famous “Last Lecture” was about how to live your life, conquering your dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how he did it. Not only was he smart, he also had a great spirit about his personality. He stressed throughout his lecture to always have fun and be happy!

My favorite part of his lecture was the brick walls that kept appearing! Dr. Pausch believed that brick walls exist to “prove how badly we want things.” They are also there to prove who doesn’t want something badly enough. As a future teacher, this is something I want to encourage with my students. Children need to know that their dreams are possible! Where would we be today if historical inventors gave up after their first failure? The brick wall is something I would love to use as a classroom motto. Even if there’s a brick wall that doesn’t get crossed, we still gain experience from trying. Dr. Pausch said the quote “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.“ Whether we accomplish something or fail, we are always learning from the situation. This leads to the next learning technique Dr. Pausch discussed, “Head-Fake.” This is when you think you’re learning one thing, but in reality you’re learning a more important lesson. In Dr. Pausch’s words “best way to teach someone, make them think they are learning something else.” A “Head-Fake” was included in Dr.Pauschs lecture when he reveals the only three people his lecture was actually meant for were his three kids. This is something that can be used often in the classroom. I would consider technology in the classroom a “head-fake.” It is something that has games and other activities to keep students interested while learning at the same time!

It was evident that Dr.Pausch cared a great deal for his students. He was very proud of their many accomplishments. He encouraged them to be creative with their works and to always push harder. I will never forget the story he mentioned about having to go back to a classroom of students he was beyond impressed with and tell them “that was good, but you can do better.” Encouragement and support is something necessary in a classroom. I want to be a teacher who also persuades my students to go beyond their expectations. I will applaud them of their success while challenging them further.

I could go on all day about the encouraging words from Dr.Pausch’s Last Lecture! He is someone I truly admire. Anyone who has not seen this lecture should immediately! I have written down several of his quotes to keep for my own personal reference. He sets the standard for all future teachers. He left an impact on not only his students but also the rest of the world. I hope to one day influence and help my students to the best of my ability. That is indeed what being a successful teacher is all about.