Sunday, March 6, 2011

Blog Post 7


Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" is a remarkable discourse on how one can attain their childhood dreams, but more importantly it is about perseverance and self empowerment. The concepts Professor Pausch outlines are powerful concepts that can be used to help anyone achieve the things they have always dreamed of doing. While glaring his own physical ailments square in the face, Pausch imparts a great amount of wisdom that all individuals can use to achieve their own goals.

We all remember our career aspirations as children; the advent of modern television brought so many worlds into each of our own that we undoubtedly we became fascinated with some unique profession that many told us was unobtainable. Pausch’s dreams reflect some of this same idea. A product of the sixties and seventies, Pausch was privy to an era where anything seemed possible; this generation of human achievement stoked a fire inside Pausch that would propel his creative forces. While many of his goals may seem mundane, such as his desire to win very large stuffed animals, the way he went about attaining these goals is what is truly inspirational.

One of the aspects he discussed multiple times was “walls” and how these affect you pursuit of your dreams. This concept is true to all of us; no matter the numerous professions I sought after, there have always been things that deterred me from continuing. What makes Pausch’s thoughts regarding this so poignant is his attitude; he states that those walls are to keep other people out. While this statement was received with laughter, it is probably the best advice he imparted. This never say die attitude is exactly why he was able to achieve the amazing things he did during his lifetime.

Pausch’s lecture really applies best to teachers when he discusses how to enable others dreams, which he stated can be more rewarding than fulfilling your own. Pausch’s firm belief in the creativity of the human mind is evident. Pausch is an example of many of the principals Ken Robinson discussed earlier in the semester; By growing up in a generation of education that was not solely focused on the standardized test performance, Pausch was able to not only foster his own creativity, but also that of others.

1 comment:

  1. Randy Pauch's Last Speech truly is an inspiration and a great guide in how to be a good educator.

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