Blog Post #6 Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch is an amazing speaker! Randy Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University where he teaches students how to make virtual worlds using computer generated graphics. Randy is also a motivational speaker, who has terminal cancer, so he is taking this last opportunity to impact as many people as he can. In this video Randy talks about the things that everyone needs to know and do to achieve their dreams. First Randy believes that everyone should have dreams and that we should strive to attain those dreams. Second we should help others to attain their dreams. Randy, during his lifetime has learned many lessons, many of which have been difficult, on how to accomplish these two tasks and these are the focus of this talk.
Randy believes that everyone should have dreams and we need to try our best to attain them. Now obviously we have to be realistic about which dreams we strive to attain but Randy says that the pursuit of dreams is what drives us in school, in business, and in life. I love Randy's comment that "brick walls are there to let us prove how much we want something". If we want it bad enough then we will find a way over, under or around that brick wall. His point is that we should never give up, on our dreams and our goals, but should persevere to the very end.
The area that I thought was most beneficial to me was when Randy talked about our responsibilities to help others attain their dreams. This is where we as teachers come in. We need to insure not only that our students have dreams but that those dreams are not crushed or extinguished but rather are fostered and allowed to blossom. We need to set the standards bar high for our students and hold them accountable to those lofty standards. We need to be more than just teachers we need to be mentors, guiding our students in the directions they need to go to realize their goals.I love Randy's comment about it being "a bad thing when you are messing up and nobody says anything". What that means is that as mentors we need to have the courage to voice the negative criticism with the positive. Teachers should never give up on their students and Randy's comment that "the best gold is often found at the bottom of barrels of crap" is priceless and right on the money. We as teachers need to see the best in every student no matter how long it takes for them to show it. Teachers need to ensure that our students are prepared for the world out there and Randy's comment "Be prepared, luck is where preparation meets opportunity" is probably my favorite!
Probably the most beneficial section of Randy's video is the last third. In this section he talks about the lessons he has learned that helped him realize his dreams. So often we are too much the realists, when dealing with our students dreams, and we often inadvertently snuff them out. Randy says that "we should never lose the child like wonder of our dreams because it is what drives us". He talked about his parents, his mentors and his students and the roles they played in his life. If an individual is going to realize their dreams it is absolutely critical that they have their parents support but more importantly that their parents believe in them. It is crucial that everyone has a mentor or mentors that they can use as a sounding board. They need to have mentors who are not afraid to tell them what they need to hear and not necessarily what they want to hear. This keeps them balanced personally and professionally. Randy also believed that we can learn as much from our students as they learn from us and often we learn more.
Randy also has a lot of personal advice, on how to live your life, that has a tendency to be left out in this day and age. Some of his advice might be considered archaic by today's standards but I think it is very relevant and should be taught in every school in America. Randy believes that we should focus on others and not ourselves. We should tell the truth, be earnest, and apologize when we mess up. Randy believes that when we are working towards a goal that we should never give up but that it's ok to ask for help because often our goals are impossible alone. If we expect loyalty from those around us then we should be loyal because loyalty is a two way street. Show gratitude to those around you and when life gets you down don't complain just work harder. Randy's video is packed with valuable information that need to be imparted to our students and I would recommend this video to anyone young or old! Take a look the link is at the top!