... And Your Dreams WILL Follow.

The Last Lecture

So, halfway through the lecture, and on until the end, I was extremely confused on the point of this lecture. It seemed like a man talking about his life and career, and I didn't understand why, so I am assuming not many others did either. So, I did some research, and it is tradition at Carnegie Mellon for a professor to present a "Last Lecture," when he or she has been diagnosed with or cancer, or some other reason, and is expected to die within a short period of time, so when I discovered this, I was able to understand a little better. So there is a little insight for you guys.

Well, I cried at the end. I cried a lot. This guy who I had no interest in at the beginning of the video, was really powerful to me as a young person. I am so surprised that I enjoyed this video so much, because ultimately I did not know this man, I care nothing about virtual reality, and I had no idea what his intentions were. I enjoyed his lecture so much, he expressed so many wonderful and touching ideas, that everyone can learn from. From this lecture, and I also did some extra research, it seems that Randy was a great person, and he lived a very fulfilled life. My sorrow goes out to his wife Jai, and his three beautiful children.

I love the "head fake" idea. This is a great theory to use in life as well as education. Children do not want to do what you want them to do, you know? It is a great thing to witness a child learning a task or an idea, when they had no idea they were learning. This is often called incidental teaching. I once worked with a teacher who was head over heels for this method of learning, and I often got to experience the positives that came from it. The students were in preschool, and it was almost like a light came from their eyes when they realized what difficult task they had accomplished that was simple in reality. When someone thinks they are working hard on an assignment or idea, and they realize that something wonderful has also come from it, it is a great feeling.

I also took to heart his idea of putting others before yourself. This is something we are taught as soon as our cognitive abilities allow us to understand it. Unfortunately, media and the 21st century embed the idea of self into our brain. I feel that as educators, WE are the ones who understand the idea, and also exhibit the idea. We certainly do not go into the profession for reasons of "self". We embrace it with the hope of touching the lives of others. This blog is not meant to talk about myself, but I do want to share that I understand his idea of leading a good life and putting others before yourself, and your dreams will come to you. I once volunteered a camp for special needs children and adults. I literally changed diapers and gave baths to utter strangers. Giving up our summer to perform tasks such as these do not sound like a good time to most people, but it was the BEST experience of my life. It was FULFILLING. If I never do anything else again in my life, I will know my life has been fulfilled because of that one summer. I lived for others, and got so much in return. My personality and outlook on life was deterred, and I realized my dream of becoming a special education teacher. So, when Mr. Pausch expressed this idea, it really hit home, and I hope that others will also embrace this.

I feel like I could blog for days about this lecture. He seemed like such a good hearted man who accomplished so much. He led an amazing life because he listened to the advice of others and always prioritized others before himself.


Thank you Mr. Randy for your words : )