Randy Pausch Lecture

Randy Pausch’s last lecture was very enlightening. He had a very humble approach to life, and very thankful to those he encountered along the way. Mr. Pausch was a man that experienced quite a bit in his life. There was a lot of useful advice that Randy gave that anyone can find useful. There were two analogies that he made in reference to a brick wall. In his lecture he stated that “Brick walls are there for a reason; they let us prove how badly we want things, and “let us show our dedication’.

The four main teaching points that I acquired from Mr. Pausch’s lecture were to decide if you’re a tigger or a eeyore, never lose the child like wonder, help others, loyalty is a two way street. The first point seems to be centered in deciding whether or not your how to make something happen or wait for something to happen. The second point is simple, never limit your imagination. The third point is what everyone should do every day, help others. Perhaps we all one day will need help so if we help others the good karma will come back to you. The fourth point hinges on the fact that in order to receive loyalty one must remain loyal. These lessons I will teach my students in the future.

There were a few life lessons that Randy mentioned that can be applied to both the classroom as well as real life. The life lessons he mentioned were to tell the truth, be earnest, and apologize when you screw up. These particular lessons I was taught at an early age. The funny thing is that even as an adult it is still good advice for an adult. These lessons I am contemplating placing on a plaque and placing on the wall in my classroom, or for me the gymnasium.

Randy showed quite a bit of courage during his lecture. He immediately into his lecture let everyone know what his illness was from, and that he would not be talking about certain things. With only a few months to live I would have had the same approach that he had. I would focus on fun and making my final days as memorable as possible. Mr. Pausch mentioned what he called a “head fake”, which is basically getting someone to focus on something very difficult but having fun while their having fun, or by using story telling to help them get through difficult things. I admired the way that he used his last lecture in part as a “head fake” for his three children. Even in his last lecture he was thinking about others and not his self.