Blog Post # 8

Randy Pausch: Last Lecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
by: Caroline Cannon

To be perfectly honest, when I first clicked on this link and noticed the video length of Randy Pausch's last lecture, I was apprehensive about watching such a long video. All that I can say after watching it, is boy was I wrong. This hour and fifteen minute video taught me more about not only teaching and learning, but about life than I have gathered in a long time. It was very direct, heart felt, and sincere. I wish I had known about Randy Pausch before his last lecture, and on different terms..than his last lecture. The assignment requires us to talk about what we can learn from Randy about teaching and learning. At first this seemed a bit abstract because Randy talked more about life experiences rather than directly about teaching and learning. I began relating the lessons that he was presenting with teaching and learning and quickly realized that they're perfectly relatable to education. So, here is a list of things that I learned from Randy Paush's Last Lecture:

• For starters, Randy speaks about playing the cards you are dealt. In future endeavors, such as teaching or life in general, we will be dealt our cards...it is not about which cards you are dealt, but how you play the hand you are dealt.
• Never lose site of childhood dreams. Seeing as though I would like to teach elementary education, I think that this piece of advice is very useful. Children of the elementary age have a lot of dreams. Instead of putting them down, we must remember to encourage their childhood dreams, and also not lose site of our own.
• Always have something to bring to the table. When we go for job interviews, or meeting, we want to have something to bring to the table. It makes us more marketable.

This next bit of advice was probably my favorite:

• When you do something (wrong) and critics stop correcting you, or people do not continue to tell you when you've messed up, then they have given up on you. We must learn to value critiques. In most cases, they are coming from fans that really want to help us to do better. In education, I am sure we will have many critiques from parents, students, administrators, and co-workers. We have to learn to value critics and let them help to improve our work.
• Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want. This is especially good advice for myself. I am a perfectionist and when something doesn't go the correct way, I often look at is as being negative. According to Randy, which I also agree  with...we must learn to reflect on our mistakes and gain experience. Turn the negative into positive.
• Be a role-model.
• Brick walls are their to stop people who do not want it badly enough.
• As a teacher, we can and will have the power to enable childhood dreams. Do it.
• Set high standards for your students. They will continue to move up and up.
• Give students the chance to showcase their work if opportunity strikes.
• Make learning fun.
• Learn from your students.
• never lose your childlike wonder.
• Help others.

And most importantly...let your child paint their bedroom, be Tigger, and HAVE FUN!
I encourage anyone reading this, if you haven't already, to go and watch Randy's Last Lecture. I hope that you will find it to be just as inspiring and informational as I have.