Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch, one of the most intelligent and phenomenal professors of our time, gave many profound statements during his last lecture at Carnegie-Mellon. In the beginning of his speech when he is telling of his current medical condition, he says, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." In my opinion, this was the setup for the basis of his entire lecture. Many of us have dreams and goals as children, but why do we let so many things stop us from achieving them? Even in a dark time, Randy Pausch explains several key factors that can be played out to help people make even their wildest dreams come true. While all of the elements in his speech were important, I felt that the ones which were most critical to his main focus were being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, being Captain Kirk, and being a Disney Imagineer.
When he speaks of being in zero gravity, Pausch says that it is very important to have a specific dream. This is very important to me because every goal or accomplishment that I have achieved in my own life have been due to being specific in setting my goals. Randy Pausch explains that he did not actually dream of becoming an astronaut, but when some of his students were able to fly in the "Vomit Comet", he was thrilled because he had always wanted to experience floating with no gravity. Naturally, he was devastated when he found out that faculty members were not allowed to fly with the students. Because he was also a web journalist, however, he was able to go with his students, representing a journalist from their hometown. After making negotiations, he was able to go with the students and reach Childhood Goal #1. In this example, he ends by saying how important it is to always bring something to the table. This is something that I feel more students and teachers alike need to learn how to better comprehend. In a world where everyone wants to get something for nothing, it is getting harder to find people who will work on their part to meet someone else halfway. Pausch's story of the zero gravity rocket serves as a great reminder that by holding up our end of the deal, we will receive some type of achievement reached.
Unlike becoming an astronaut, Randy Pausch did dream of playing in the National Football League. Although he did not become a professional football player, he tells us that he probably got more from having that dream and not reaching it than he did from reaching any of his other goals. When he was a boy, his first football coach, Coach Graham, taught him and his team the importance of learning fundamentals. He says that Coach Graham explained that you have to get the fundamentals down before you can do the fancy stuff. This is something that I hope to instill in my students one day, and I feel is very important for their success, regardless of what they do in life. While becoming intelligent, having good grades, and intellectual excellence is wonderful, if students do not learn the basics of my classroom, they will never be able to retain anything else. Another crucial point that Pausch made in this portion of the lecture is about constructive criticism, or "tough love". He tells how Coach Graham was very hard on him during practices. One day in particular he made a comment about it, and someone replied to him explaining that it was because he had not given up on him yet. This stood out to me because I can see how this plays out in classrooms and other scenarios everyday. I tend to be a kind and gentle person by nature, and I used to have a hard time giving constructive criticism to others in fear of hurting their feelings. This video lecture, however, caused me to change my mind. Pausch learned that day at practice that even though his coach was always hard on him, it was only because he cared about him enough to push him to do better. I feel that by giving positive, constructive criticism to my students when needed will let them know that I care and have not given up on them.
Randy Pausch quickly realized that being Captain Kirk would obviously never happen. As a boy, Pausch looked up to Captain Kirk on the television show Star Trek because, not only was he the captain of the ship, but he also had the most interesting equipment and "toys". Years later, the actor who played the role of Captain Kirk, William Shatner, traveled to the virtual reality center at the university where Pausch was employed to see the setup of the inside of Captain Kirk's ship. Pausch explains that, "It's cool to meet your boyhood idol, but it's even cooler when he comes to meet you." I found much value in this statement because I feel that it sends out much encouragement to those children who have idolized certain individuals. Although what they do may be very dangerous, exciting, and/or important, if students are able to live up to their fullest potential, they will be doing something even greater. By working hard and using his skills to the best of his ability, Randy Pausch was able to meet his childhood idol and impress him with his success. Instead of students being impressed by those we raise on a pedestal, I feel that we as teachers should raise up students to the point where their idols are one day impressed by them.
Becoming a Disney Imagineer was one of the hardest challenges Randy Pausch ever had to face. After going on a family trip to Disneyland when he was younger, Pausch knew in his heart that he wanted to help build and design rides and different aspects of technology that he saw there. However, he had more than a few setbacks. When he first sent applications to Disney in hopes of becoming an Imagineer, he was graciously denied acceptance. However, with perseverance, humility, patience, and a large amount of skill and intelligence, he was able to eventually work on a virtual reality project with the Disney Imagineers that turned out to be a huge success. By instilling these practices inside students' minds and helping them find their skills and talents and sharpening them, we are able to qualify them to be the perfect assets to the occupations of their dreams. While working on this project with Disney, Pausch was allowed to work with a man named Jon Snoddy, who was manager of the project. One major concept that Snoddy taught Jon was that everyone has at least a small amount of goodness in them; if we wait long enough, they will show us this good side. Upon hearing this in the video, I now believe that this is something every teacher needs to lectured on. Today's world makes it more than convenient to give up on people when they do not conform to our needs, wants, and mindsets. If teachers hold on to this negative way of thinking, however, who is left to believe in students? I feel that all children, no matter what type of situations they are in or what their personalities are like, have potential and goodness in them. If I keep pushing and believing in these students when everyone else gives up, I feel that I will eventually see positive results and see each child's life changed for the better.
While these are not all of the concepts taught by Randy Pausch in his last lecture video, these are the ones that stood out in my mind when thinking of my future role as an educator. We live in a world now that is very fast-paced, demanding, and can be harsh and confusing when a person is not prepared for it. We may not realize it, but the future of society is ultimately in the hands of teachers. Some instructors have not done their best in educating and encouraging students in the last few years; however, this can change. Randy Pausch was definitely someone who all educators can look up to, but his principles were not designed to end at the end of his last video or after his death. He taught us these things to not only help become better educators, but I believe to also open our minds and hearts, and look more carefully at humanity and how to really help improve students' lives and our own lives, as well.