The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's last lecture is amazing. It's hard to believe that someone in his position could be able to look at life the way he does and not be angry or upset with the crappy hand he'd been dealt. Pausch had a very interesting look on life and was such an inspirational person that he made it seem so simple to be positive in the worst situation possible. It's not hard to forget during this lecture that Pausch is dying, because he doesn't seem sickly or depressed. Instead, he used the opportunity to speak out to people and tell them that they could also fulfill their dreams before they died. Regardless of what age a person is or what they're facing ion their lives currently, everyone should listen to this lecture, because I believe that anyone can gain piece-of-mind from it.

My favorite part of the lecture was when he spoke of his childhood dreams. With each one that he accomplished, he hit that brick wall that seemed impossible to forge through. Yet somehow, his initiative led him to overcome, even when others thought he was crazy. To quit his job with only a small possibility that he's get the other one, just to get 25 seconds of the zero gravity that he had hoped for as a child is such a brave thing to do. I don't think I know anyone that would take that risk for a half a minute of something non-tangible. I also love that he turned down the permanent job as a Disney Imagineer. He worked so hard and no one gave him a chance, and then he bribed his way into a lunch that only got him a project paper that he had to fund himself. So when the opportunity finally arose, and his potential was finally recognized, he decided to follow his intuition that he wouldn't be happiest there.

Randy Pausch had the most amazing outlook on teaching. He basically said that if you tricked the student into enjoying the hard stuff by making fun, then the students would learn more than if you stick to the old fashioned way. Through his work towards the creation of Alice , he helped develop a program for high school students to learn how to program by creating these stories that are theirs. They can have fun and be in control of what they're doing while learning these skills that otherwise seem impossible to teach students their age. Pausch is definitely leaving his mark on the youth with this legacy.

My view on teaching has been altered by this lecture. I think if more of the lectures I receive during my college career could be along these lines, that I would be gaining a more valuable education than any textbook could offer. I think I'll have my students forever listening to this lecture and reading the book about it. If I can affect one student the way Randy Pausch undoubtedly affected all of his, then I will consider my life as an educator successful. Originally, I wanted to become a high school teacher because it was convenient for me. I want to become a mom young and I don't want to spend a lot of time out of my home and away from my family, not to mention the personal benefits I could receive for my family. But the more I am inspired by these truly devoted knowledge givers like Pausch, the more excited I am to embark on my journey through the molding of young peoples minds.