Blog Assignment # 7

        Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" posted on YouTube was about achieving your childhood dreams. This speech was inspiring and emotional. He opened in the beginning by letting his audience know that he had tumors in his liver. He knew he would not live much longer, but he did not want that to be the topic of his speech. He made it clear that he did not want to talk about his cancer, family, or religion. He didn't want tears, but after watching this video I had to find the Kleenex.

        Randy spent time telling the audience about his childhood dreams. He wanted be in zero gravity, play in the NFL, author part of an encyclopedia, be Captain Kirk, win stuffed animals, and be a Disney imagineer. He worked hard with a class and was able to be in zero gravity. He never became part of the NFL, but he played football and it changed his life. He did have the chance to write part of an encyclopedia. He obviously could not be Captain Kirk, but he was able to meet William Shatner. He won many stuffed animals while playing games; he even brought them on stage to show the audience. He helped work on the Aladdin project at Disney. Although he did not live all of his childhood dreams, he stressed the importance of brick walls. When a brick wall is put up and you do not get what you wanted, it only shows just how badly you did want that thing. He also states that you will always get experience when shooting for your dreams. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."
        He also stressed the importance of getting the basics down and then doing hard work. He achieved so much by working so hard. Once, a football coach kept pushing him hard and made him do a lot of work. Although he found this irritating at the time, another man told him that it's good the coach is pushing him so hard. It's bad when "you screw up and nobody says anything; that means they gave up on you." He says that this advice has been the best advice he's received. I also think it is meaningful. As a future teacher, patience is something I will need to have while teaching students. Some students may not understand something and although it may be tempting to just let him or her work on something else, I have to push them and not give up on them.
       Randy stated his love for Captain Kirk as a child. Although Captain Kirk was not the smartest, he had a leadership quality that stood out to Randy. He knew that he also wanted to be a leader. He ended up teaching a computer programming class. His students did an amazing job on a project the first week of class and Randy stated that he did not know what to say. Another man said to go into class and tell the class they did a great job, but they can do better. This was great to say so that the students could extend their limits in the class. I will also take that into account while teaching and grading projects.
       Towards the end of the speech, Randy gave more advice he had learned in his life. He believes all people have good in them; nobody is 100% evil. If you wait long enough then people will impress you. He also believes in having fun at all times. Learning something hard in a fun way is great for students. You just have "to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. You should always help others and put them first. Never give up on your dreams and be sure to listen to feedback and show gratitude. Don't complain about things; just try and work harder. He ends by asking if people have figured out the "head flakes." The 1st head flake is to be sure to lead a good life and things will eventually come to you. The 2nd head flake is that this speech was not for us; it was for his three children.
        This speech is full of advice from a man that accomplished many things and lived a full life. Every person who strives of making a difference in this world should watch this speech.