Randy Pausch's video gives us lessons that can last us a lifetime. Pausch has been diagnosed with cancer, yet he has the most brilliant and peaceful aura about him. When he said his deathbed conversion was buying a Macintosh, I literally laughed out loud. This only makes me want one more!
He made me look back and think about what my childhood dreams were. I like how he said he "got more from the dream and not accomplishing it than from others that he did accomplish". I think being in tune with our own inner child will help us connect more with our students, making us more effective and personable.
Fundamentals are the cornerstone to build upon. His story about his coach not bringing a football to practice was very potent. He made a point that of 22 players on a team, only one on the team is holding the ball, and it's time to work with those other 21 players. As a gymnastics coach, I apply this mode of learning to my students. I teach safety rules, flexibility, correct body positions, tight muscles and pointed toes before I ever even attempt to teach a cartwheel or even a front roll.
Randy described a to us a time in his life when his coach was riding him extra hard one practice. Instead of beating himself up about it, he listened to another coach who told him that this was a good thing. What he's telling us here is that when you're screwing up and no one is telling you about it, they've given up. Let's hope that my mentors and teachers will have the persistence to ride me a little harder when I need a boost. This is a good thing. Some might consider this a brick wall... but Pausch mentions that brick walls are put in front of us only too see how badly we want something.
I think what sticks out to me most in this video is when he's describing one of his first assignments to an undergraduate class, and they came back just blowing him away. He had no idea what do to... so he called his Mentor. Andy Van Dam laughed and told him to tell them that they did a fantastic job... but it could have been better. He was pointing out that he didn't know where the bar should be and setting it would only be a disservice for the students. What an amazing viewpoint. This encourages students to want to be responsible for their own learning and to ask questions, work harder and smarter, and to think outside of the box. One of Pausch's mentors John Snoddy said "give someone some time, and they'll almost always impress you." So here's to having my cake and eating it too. Thank you Randy Pausch for one of the most profound videos I have ever watched.
Comments4Kids
I was able to review Day 108 of a kindergarten class. The teacher was so organized and the kids were engaged all day long, either inside or out, or using technology. Here is the comment I left on the class's blog:
I love seeing the word "sensory" in your kindergarten class. :) I'm sorry to hear that art didn't go so well, but maybe next time you'll have cooperation. I'm visiting this site as an assignment from a class I'm taking at the University of South Alabama. I'll enjoy coming back to visit often. Keep up the good work and the great attitude! You can check out my class blog here http://edm310.blogspot.com/ or my personal blog I've started (also an assignment for the class) at http://longeneckerhollyedm310.blogspot.com/
This was a great post! I really enjoyed this lecture as well. I liked how you compared his football coach story to your life as a gymnastics coach! I hope for my coaches and mentors to push me along as well. I can tell you really enjoyed the video and I enjoyed reading your post. :)
ReplyDeleteI also really liked his speech. I also agree with the fact that students should want to be responsible for what they get out of their education.
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