Blog Post # 7

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture:



I first want to begin my discussion about Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture, is how happy Randy was. He knew everything there was to know about the situation he was in with his Pancreatic Cancer, and how he only had a few more months to live before that his doctor's said he probably would't make it much longer. Most people would be having pity partys or would be depressed. But not Randy. He was so lively and happy in this last lecture video. You would never have guessed, that he would have known that he wouldn't be living much longer. What I learned from Randy is no matter what happens in your life or what you're doing you need to have fun with it. And to me that is so true and perfect. As I've said before I am going to school with a major as Elementary Education. I'll be getting to teach little kids everyday. So the word FUN is going to be an issue with me. It's hard for kids to sit down and concentrate in the first place. They need something that grasps their attention and takes hold. If I make all my lesson plans dull and boring my class won't be having a positive outcome. But! If I can make my class interested in what we're having to study and work on and make it fun to learn in the process, my classroom will be having a very positive outcome. The students will want to participate rather than just sit and wait for the bell to ring and tell them it's time to go home.

Another lesson that I learned from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was, give feedback and listen to any received feedback. That rule will also be perfect to incorporate into my classroom. No one on Earth is perfect. We all mess up at times and we all are better at one thing while others are better at another. As a teacher, I'll be doing great in one department while I may need to work harder on another. So if another teacher comes up to me and tells me I might need to change how I teach something or how I do something, I don't need to see that as if that other teacher is out to get me. I need to be that small portion of society that takes that piece of advice and use it to my advantage to change what needs to be changed and become a better teacher from it. Now, since I am becoming a teacher I will also be giving feedback. As a teacher who will care about her students, I will want them to be the best that they can be. So when I give my feedback on a project or a test, I need to say it in a polite up-beat way. Not in a cynical make my students feel stupid way. When a person does get feedback from another it's not always what he or she wants to hear. So if I put a nice spin to it, my students will more than likely be happy to take that piece of advice and run with it. As Randy perfectly said it "Your critics tell you they love you and care." If you don't have any critics that means the people around you have given up.

A third thing I learned from Randy is to be loyal. Randy had a perfect quote from Jon Snoddy about loyalty, "Wait, and people will surprise you." Being loyal is a huge trait that everyone should want. And as a teacher I need to be loyal to my students and in return they will be loyal to me. Now as I said earlier we are all human beings and are all far from being perfect. If someone isn't doing something you think they need to be doing stick with them. Don't leave them just because you don't like it. Give them time and like Jon Snoddy said they will surprise you. As a teacher, my students will be depending on my to teach them and also make them feel safe while they're at school. If a student has a question and it's the same question that's been repeated over and over. I shouldn't become upset with him or her. They trust me enough to walk up to my desk, or raise their hand in the middle of class for me to explain something to them. They have enough trust and loyalty in me, to answer the question and not embarrass or make them feel stupid in the process.

One of the last things that really caught my attention in Randy's lecture was,
How To Get People To Help You:
1. You can't get there alone, and I believe in Karma
2. Tell the truth
3. Be earnest
4. Apologize when you screwup
5.Focus on others, not yourself
As a teacher I will be needing a lot of help from various different people, and my students will also be needing help from various different people their whole lives. I need to teach my students these five rules. For the first rule "You can't get there alone" that is completely true. My students will need to know about teamwork. Nobody was made to be able to do everything on his or her own. You need people to help you along the way. That it's okay to admit to yourself and to others that, "No. I can't do this by myself." From the time your in K5 all the way to about the day you die, you'll always be having to work with someone or a group of people. Why not teach them at a young age how to efficiently work in groups and build a stronger teamwork? For the second rule "Tell the truth". That is an extremely important trait that someone needs to have. Trust is like loyalty. Once it's broken it's hard to gain back. The third rule I want to teach my students is "Be earnest". Everyone can tell who is actually meaningful and who is not. I want to teach my students that they don't want to be one of those fake people. Life is a gift, and you need to treat people in a way that shows they actually mean something,and they're not just like an old toy they can get tired with and want to throw away. The fourth rule that's important is "Apologize when you screwup". Like I've already said multiple times, we're human. We're bound to make mistakes. If you break something in the classroom, tell me. Don't try to hide it. If you do that, you could ruin your character a little and can also lose a little trust. And last but not least is "Focus on others, not yourself". No one can stand being around someone who is full of him or herself. I need to teach my future students that caring about yourself is no where near as important as caring about others.

And to end my little discussion on Randy, I would like to end on one of my favorite quotes he said in his last lecture.
"Don't bail; the best of the gold is at the bottom of the crap."