Blog#7

In watching this lecture I kept thing this is basically a autobiography. How is this going to apply? Mr. Pausch talks about his childhood dreams. I thought well ok, he is going to tell us his life story and how he lived happily ever after. But he had some interesting anecdotes to tell. He gave a list of things/dreams he wanted to accomplish and how he set out to get it all done. In doing so he gives some pretty good advice. As he speaks we learn he has terminal cancer. This fact is glazed over a few times in the lecture but is not the focus.

He talks about how he not only taught students but what he learned from them as well.It rather reminded me of a book I once read and the slipcover's little blurb. The book was "All I Really Need To Know I learned In Kindergarten" By Robert Fulghum
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These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):1.Share everything. 2. Play fair. 3. Don't hit people. 4. Put things back where you found them. 5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS. 6. Don't take things that aren't yours. 7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody. 8. Wash your hands before you eat. 9. Flush. 10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. 11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some. 12. Take a nap every afternoon. 13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. 14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. 15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. 16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

I'm not sure if he read the book or not but the two men surely share the same ideas. Mr. Pausch encourages us to take chances, "Don't lose that child-like wonder." The tips he gave and received through his "journey" are perfect especially in the teaching world. Kids are always watching even when we think they are not they hear and often repeat EVERYTHING. So set an example "Don't be afraid to dream out loud." ( I love that one)

He spoke of how others influenced his life. The advice here was great. Don't always see the bad, sometimes you may have to wait a while to see the good. But it's there just wait and see. When someone gives you feedback: listen, cherish, and use it. It is important to focus on others and help them achieve their dreams. As this can be just as if not more rewarding than achieving your own.