Mr. Pausch started his lecture by talking about his illness. He knew even though he had the best doctors that it was inevitable, that he was going to die. He said " We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." Wow! If only we all could look at our lives and truly do the best we can and not let anything bring us down. I learned that anything is possible. We should not give up. When you are learning and teachers are steadily correcting you, wanting your best, that means they believe in you. When they stop that means they have given up on you. Mr. Pausch said "Your critics are still telling you they love you and care." This is so true. I remember having teachers that pushed me to be the best I could be and gave me good advice. I am so glad that they never gave up on me, even when I felt like giving up.
Mr. Pausch made some great points : "brick walls are there to keep you out, unless you want it bad enough and are willing to fight for what you want. They are there to stop the ones who really do not want it. They really show our dedication." There have been many times where things have not always gone as I planned or hoped and yes, I wanted to give up. In the end though, my passion for it was stronger and I stayed in the fight. He also made the point that it is important to remember how you say something. If you ask nicely you are more likely to get a positive response than if you talk with an attitude. If you start off with a negative comment or say it in a rude way chances are you will lose the attention of the person you are talking to even before you ask for what you want. Mr Pausch also said "the best way to teach somebody something is to make them think they are learning something else." Many times I have thought I was being taught one thing and have left learning something else.
In one point of Mr. Pausch's lecture, he addressed the ladies that are romantically interested in a man; "When you are interested in someone romantically, ignore everything the guy says and go by what he does, how he acts." This advice can apply to any relationship with another person. We all say things when we are mad or things we do not mean. For the most part, you can tell by a person's actions how they really feel.
Randy Pausch's Advice, We Should All Live By
How to Get People to Help You
1. Tell the truth.
2. Be earnest.
3. Apologize when you screw up.
4. Focus on others, not yourself. ( For those of you married or in a serious relationship, Mr. Pausch took the focus off himself and brought out a birthday cake for his wife. They all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. This was a very sweet gesture.)
*It is important to get a feedback loop. Whether it is a group of people or one individual the important thing is to listen to them. After you listen to them, you may want to apply what they have said.
* Always show gratitude.
* Don't complain; just work harder.
* Be good at something, it makes you valuable.
* Work hard...
* Find the best in EVERYBODY; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it.
* Be prepared : "luck" is where prepared meets opportunity.
If you lead your life the right way, the dreams will come to you.
Randy Pausch's lecture was very informative. I enjoyed it. Most of all, I like that he used his last lecture to leave great advice to his children.
Randy Pausch
Melissa, this was a nicely written thorough post. I agree, if we could all look at our lives the way Mr. Pausch viewed his, who knows what we could accomplish. As for the "brick walls," as future educators, we need to strive to overcome obstacles for the betterment of our students.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Consider including a link to the youtube video of the speech.
ReplyDelete