Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Although I had seen it before, I still found Randy Pausch's Last Lecture to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. This is a terrific example of a lecture that rewards the audience on many different levels. Pausch is entertaining and inspiring throughout and the audience is drawn in emotionally as well as intellectually. He also provides terrific material to support his lecture including pictures and video adding a nice amount of variety to the lecture.

The portion of the lecture that I personally found most inspiring was his inclusion of what he called "brick walls". A terrific example of the obstacles that we all encounter in life which cause us to question how much we desire that goal. Brick walls are meant to keep the others out, not keep us from reaching our dreams. I encountered a few brick walls myself recently, and they have allowed me to prove to myself that this is what I really want.

This "Last Lecture" has also taken on particular significance to me. I found out while writing this blog that one of the most beloved professors at the University of South Alabama Dr. Joe Nigota passed away on Friday. In my early days at the university as an undeclared engineer, taking classes from professors like Dr. Nigota helped guide me into the field that I truly enjoy. The teaching of history. While he didn't pass on any life-altering wisdom, he set an example for how history should be taught. He would simply weave stories that allowed characters to come out the textbook and have special significance for his students. While working on my teaching service the term the "Dr. Nigota style of teaching" has come up frequently and that is the style I will attempt to emulate in my classroom.

Ultimately, Pausch's "The Last Lecture" is about life. As the lecture goes on, it becomes clear who his true audience is, and those of us looking in are privileged to hear his final advice for his children. So while a lecture by Dr. Nigota may never get 9 million hits on Youtube there are a few of us out there that will try to carry on Dr. Nigota's legacy.