The Last Lecture....

What is the meaning of life? What is the secret to be successful? These were things I always thought about when I was younger and still think about today as an adult. When I watched Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture, I thought about my life and my life as a teacher. When it comes to my life, I will never be content with the success I achieve. Some people think that is a bad thing but, Randy Pausch showed me that there is nothing wrong with chasing your childhood dreams. When I think about my childhood dreams, the only ones I could think of was becoming my high school valedictorian and going to college so I can help people. Simple right? Never! I worked hard to achieve my goals. I gave and always give over 100 percent. There are and were times in which, like Randy Pausch, I had brick walls that stepped into my life. Randy Paush said, “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” There were many times that I felt like giving up and allowing that brick wall to win, but, I knew with hard work and God anything was possible. I actually achieved both of my childhood dreams. I became my high school’s valedictorian, in 2009, and I graduated from University of South Alabama with a degree in Biology in the summer of 2013.

Randy Pausch said, “When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.” When I decided to become a teacher I knew that my goal was to give my students the tools they need in life in order to be prepared for college. Randy Pausch taught me that as a teacher you should also help your students achieve their childhood dreams. I want my students to feel inspired by my journey. I want students to realize that you should never settle and always give your best. I believe that everyone is capable of doing anything and everything they want to achieve in life. I agree with Randy that if you really want to achieve something, not even a brick wall could stop you from reaching that goal. I want my students to view that through criticism. I want to be that teacher that is hard but everyone enjoys the challenge. I want my students to see that my criticism and toughness as a way to work hard. In the end, I believe that if you work hard in class, you will work hard in life.

Randy Pausch taught me that students should enjoy learning. I believe that students will learn and retain information better when they are having fun with education. Project Based Learning is a great tool to help students have fun in the classroom. I believe the world is nothing but a global classroom that is waiting for fresh young minds to explore its wonders. As a teacher you want your students engaged the moment they walk into a classroom. As teachers we must be mindful that there are many ways to teach children besides lecturing. I always viewed learning as a fun experience and I want my students to have that same experience.

The final thing I learned from Randy is that you should always enjoy life. My mom always tell me to enjoy life and be thankful for the time you have been given on this earth. There will be times in which life will be easy but there will be also times in which life is difficult. However, Randy has taught me you should enjoy both the good and bad times because even those bad times are great lessons. I want my students to realize that chasing your childhood dreams should not only consist of working hard but to also enjoy those moments of learning. Also in life you should always be kind to people because they will be kind to you. I want my students to learn what I have learned and that is life is your biggest educator.

In conclusion, Randy Pausch’s lecture inspired me not only as a teacher but has a person. He also made me realize that as a teacher we have the power to help students achieve their dreams. We should also be mindful of how we talk to students because you never know how you could impact their future. Randy showed me that even when he was working hard to achieve his childhood dreams, he always took time and enjoyed life. He not only enjoyed life; he enjoyed the moment. He made me look at my life and evaluate it. He showed me that even during your darkest hours, you should always enjoy life.

Sources

Randy Pausch Last Lecture