Randy Pausch received news that he had brain cancer and had about three to six months to live. I know if I received this kind of news I would be devastated, but Pausch understood that he could do nothing about it and chose to make the best of his situation. This lecture was titled, "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", and in it he talked about his dreams as a child and everything he learned along the way as he was trying to achieve them. This video is very inspirational and teaches us a lot about teaching and learning.
When it comes to teaching, Pausch says it is important to be enthusiastic. This give your students confidence. When I reflect on some of my past teachers, I find that the best ones all had this trait. People respond better to someone who is enthusiastic about what they are trying to convey to you. He also speaks about the importance of teaching the fundamentals, or the basics. He had a humorous memory he shared about his football coach when he was a boy and how he learned the fundamentals about the sport before he ever touched the ball. His coach really worked him hard and Pausch appreciated this. He said, “When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.” He saw the value in what his coach was doing for him and his team through his coaching methods.
Pausch states that learning usually occurs indirectly. This happens when someone is learning from something, but they do not realized that they are learning. Throughout his lecture Randy Pausch talked about the brick walls in life. He said these are the different adversities we have in our life when we are trying to accomplish something. He taught me how important it is to try your best with whatever life throws at you. No matter what happens, you will gain something from it all.
I agree with your outlook on his last lecture. I always liked the teachers who are more enthusiastic because you can tell they care more about teaching the students then the pay check they are receiving.
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