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E-mail Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > July > 26 > Entry
A lesson in living
Maybe you’ve heard this story, but I hadn’t until Randy Pausch died yesterday. Pausch, a terminally ill professor and researcher in virtual reality computer programming at Carnegie Mellon University, became a YouTube star when his “last lecture” video was viewed by millions. Here is a very nice obituary story about Pausch from the Chicago Tribune.
The video is long, but worth every minute. I watched it with my eight-year-old daughter and she was not bored. That alone is a tribute to Pausch’s engaging teaching style. This is also a good reminder to value the teachers in your life. Check it out.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Teaching and Learning
Comments
By dps teacher
July 27, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this
I watched this last spring and showed it to my students. I was very moved and so were my students. This is the first time that I watched the original Carnegie Mellon lecture. I cried like baby probably because of my own children and the legacy I leave with them. Big responsibility! Rest in peace Randy and I hope that his family finds the peace they so richly deserve.
By Concerned Mom of 3
July 26, 2008 11:16 PM | Link to this
I watched the whole lecture. I saw the abbreviated presentation of the lecture on the Oprah show. He delivers a sincere message about the important things in life. If you haven’t seen the last lecture, you should check it out. I hope to read his book. I am sure I won’t be disappointed. His life was too short, but perhaps because of it, his mission on Earth was accomplished. What an inspiration. He will be sadly missed by many.
By Mary
July 26, 2008 10:47 PM | Link to this
I saw a segment about the professor last year on television - I suppose after his speech. I noticed from the link, he thought high school football taught him fundamentals and how to take criticism. However, the link pointed out he also wanted more results from cancer research since the disease was shortening his life. My mother died from a similar cancer when she was only 36. I think if schools and universities were as serious about the sciences, the cure for cancer and other diseases and preventative medicine as they were football, we would have had better results for people like this professor and my mother a long time ago. Schools and universities seem to invest more in football and athletes than the brains that could find cures for diseases. There is generally a very anti-intellectual environment in schools and universities. Intellectual thought and supporting and encouraging intellectual thought are “fundamentals” for finding cures and prevention. The people who have the talent and passion for these intellectual tasks are not being properly nurtured or invested in within the education system. One brochure I have points out less than 2 cents of every $100 education dollars is spent on gifted education in America’s schools.