Blog Assignment # 7

Randy Pausch’s lecture on achieving your childhood dreams is one of the most inspiring, humorous and enlightening lectures that I have ever seen. He begins by talking about his terminal illness but with humor and life. He does not however focus on this point but continues to give an inspiring lecture about his realizations of his childhood dreams. Woven in his life story he shares the wisdom he has learned along the way. While realizing his childhood dreams he discovers that he wants to do go beyond his personal dream realizations and enable others to achieve their childhood dreams. He succeeds in my opinion through his own role as a teacher and in conclusion on a greater scale by giving this lecture that will inspire millions to follow in his wisdom, philosophy and each person’s childhood dream.

These are the pearls of wisdom I took from listening to Randy Pausch’s lecture.

-The best way to teach someone is to have them think they are learning something else.

-Get your PHD because if you’re going to sell something, sell something worthwhile like education.

-Respect authority while questioning it.

- Never lose child like wonder and remember to have fun.

-Loyalty is a two way street so treat your students with respect and good things will come.

-Brick walls are there to stop those who really didn’t want to achieve their dream. Those walls allow us to show our dedication to realizing our dreams.

-The best of the gold is at the bottom of a barrel of crap.

-Show gratitude

-Don’t complain just work harder.

-Be good at something it makes you valuable.

-Find the best in everybody. You may have to wait but they will show you their good side.

-Work hard and wait however long it takes.

-Focus on teaching people to work in groups because the best thing you can do as a teacher is to get someone to be self-reflective.

- Your critics are the ones still telling you they love you. The last thing you want is people to give up on you. If they are your critics then they at least believe in you.

-We cant change the cards that we are dealt, it is what it is!

-Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you want.

-Most of what we learn we learn indirectly.

His lecture reminded me that I once had childhood dreams that have yet to be realized. I remember I dreamed of becoming an animator for Disney. When I got out of high school however, hand painting animations were replaced with computer animation. I let my dream go because I didn’t think it was possible anymore. What I realize now after watching Randy’s lecture is that I obviously didn’t want it bad enough because I let that wall beat me. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could work with computers in doing the animation. I was not exposed to computers while growing and once they became so integrated with every dream I had I thought I was incapable of them. I let my fear of something new and technology stop me from becoming a graphic artist as well in my life. As Randy would say I gained experience from these failed dreams. I learned that my childhood dream of being an artist was not what I was meant to do or driven to do. I realized that the most important thing I could do with my life and the most fulfilling would be to teach.

I hope to be the kind of teacher that spreads the kind of joy that Randy does. I want to instill in my students that their dreams can be realized if they want it bad enough. I want my students to always have permission to break the mold of conformity and try something new. I do not want to push facts and information on students but instead inspire each student to find their own voice and inspire a lifelong love for knowledge. I realized that the most important thing I could do is to indirectly teach students be self-reflective and self motivated. As a teacher I am a model for my students and I want to model joy, wonderment and gratitude. I will treat every student with respect because I know it is a two way street. I will remember to see the good in everyone and to be patient if I don’t because every person is capable of good. Those students who are the biggest challenges and the hardest to see the good in are the “gold” that Randy spoke of at the bottom of the barrel. I want to be a valuable person and therefore I plan to be a really good teacher. Mostly, I will take with me as a teacher from Randy’s lecture is his beautiful vision of life as a wondrous journey that should be embraced with each breath in total acceptance and joy.