Blog Assignment #6

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

As a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, Randy Pausch has done numerous lectures to help college students improve their learning methods and achieve their dreams. In front of a packed McConomy Auditorium, Pausch shares his own experiences in order to help/motivate his own students and their family. The "Last Lecture" was a humorous, yet serious discussion that not only had me laughing, but had me rethinking my route to success.

He starts his lecture by stating some of his own childhood dreams. Some of which he accomplished. For example, he dreamed of working for Disney. Although, when offered the job he turned it down, he had an excellent experience to share with others. I have had childhood dreams of my own, despite the fact that they changed every year as a child. I started off as wanting to teach. I then changed to a lawyer, a councilor, a judge, a photographer, an interior decorator, a wedding planner, and so on and so on. However, education and the youth has always stuck with me. Pausch gave his audience members a lengthy laugh with his other dreams of winning teddy bears, being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, etc. All of which he achieved.

Pausch makes the statement that "Brick walls are there for a reason: It is there for us to prove to ourselves of how bad we really want something." I think this was an optimistic way of looking at situations people encounter that has just come to a stand-still. I have had this feeling before and it is not a good feeling; but knowing that they are there for a reason and inspires motivation helps me look at the glass half full, instead of half empty. Randy also states that we as imperfect people must learn the fundamentals first. Without laying the foundation a plan will fall to pieces. I totally agree. Another thing that stood out to me that Pausch stated is "Experience" is what you get when you did not get what you want. I have heard this is his earlier lectures, but it inspires me every time.

Enabling dreams of others was a substantial subject of Randy's. His point was to inspire others and help them reach their own goals. Rather it is a child or an adult. As aspiring teachers we need to know how to encourage and feed their ambitious spirit. This in turn will be forever changing. Implementing fundamentals and hard work towards our students, our babies, will only lead to positive effects. Randy Pausch's lecture taught me that we learn from our students, to never give up, and made ask myself "How can I enable others dreams??" My answer: by sharing my experiences, my knowledge, and my dreams.