When this book first came out in 2008 it was a huge success. I decided to use it in this class because of the intimacy and joy it represents. It is another view of learning, teaching. We will take it slow. I know you could read the whole book in one sitting but I hope by breaking it into two weeks you will allow yourself time to reflect or recover if the stories are too intimate.
After responding to the reading the extra question is: what do you wish a professor or teacher had told you? What life advise would have helped?
If you have looked at the outline of the class you will notice that Nov5 says TAEA. This is the state wide conference for art education. I realize some of you will not be attending so this is a time for you to work on your final project. After TAEA we read "Learning with Heart" which is a funky, joy filled book of art making ideas. Then you have between Dec 3-10 to turn in your final project and the 150 word essay over your project.
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Melissa Hidalgo - My Love, Our Public Lands
This first semester of the MAE program has been inspiring due to the readings we have had. These readings have felt personal and heartfelt....
On readings for Sentipensante chapters 6 and 7:
ReplyDeleteAs we ended this book, I started to reflect on how I feel about this pedagogy and what I go from it. Like many of you guys, I read your thoughts and agreed to the majority of them. I also think that this, in writing, is a great form of way of teaching. But it may take more practice and time to fully be a teacher using the Sentipensante Pedagogy method. Just like Keisha, this book opened up my mind and eyes to things that I'm already doing as a teacher and the things that I would love to add to my ways of teachings. I already try to build a close relationship with my students but I have found it hard to build that connection with all 30 of my Art I students. Does anyone have any suggestions? My Art II classes have the same amount of students in them but I feel like I have a better relationship with them because some of them are returning students that I had in Art I. I wish I had smaller classes but that's something I can't really change and from this book, Rendon asks that we work with our students "as whole human beings--intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual." Which is why I think that this method may be easier said than done for me. I do feel fortunate that I get to teach a subject that is more hands on and offers a safe and creative environment for my students. This book definitely make me open up more to the idea of incorporating more social and political issues that affects them or their environment. They need to be aware of the things going on in the world and for them to feel safe about speaking their opinions and thoughts.
We have a local master teacher who does what she calls her 5x5, she spends 5 minutes for 5 days with any student she thinks is off track or falling behind or just seems upset. She uses the time to get to know them and to listen. Soon the whole class is different because the energy has shifted.
DeleteI also believe that if you simply begin to understand there are different ways to look at learning you have taken a leap. Plus take care of yourself, you are no good to your students if you are in a dark empty place.
I am from a country that I did not have the chance to know that well
ReplyDeleteI am from an 80's punk teen
I am from an 80's shy teen
I am from music playing everyday at home
I am from a home full of screaming
I am from a home full of love
I am from a home that was shared with us
I am from a move that changed my life
I am from parents that wanted more for me and my brother
I am from playing it safe so I wouldn't be deported
I am from a long time of waiting
I am from not knowing what to do with my life
I am from finding passion through a lens
I am from a teacher who saw potential in me
I am from encouraging parents
I am from finding how to use my patience and knowledge
I am from walking on dirt
I am from climbing mountains
I am from cold camping nights
I am from hot days in the desert
I am from loving how little I truly am when standing and being in nature
Thank you. The line "playing it safe so I wouldn't be deported" has even more impact today.
DeleteI had seen pieces Randy Pausch’s last lecture when it came out on Youtube and remember the powerful messages, but I was afraid to read it. I was afraid it would be too heavyhearted for me. Instead, I took notes on his optimistic lessons learned.
ReplyDeleteThe “head fake. Teaching people things they don’t realize they’re learning until well into the process.”
He appreciated his tough love friend, Andy for being honest about how his behavior.
Pausch’s response to his cars. A spilled soda in the back seat or when his wife damaged both of their cars. My husband was that way. When one us would do something senseless, (taking off the car door when backing into the garage, yes I did that). I would be irate, the money and time to fix the car would stress me out. He, on the other hand, would shrug his shoulders and say, “at least no one was hurt”.
Pausch could find humor with his faults and, sometimes he had moments of joy and peace while dealing with his cancer.
I couldn’t imagine trying to write my own last lecture, but I think it would be spiritually healing if I wrote it tomorrow or if I was ill.
I often think about the art history survey courses I took my freshman year. This was before the internet and hopefully these courses are improved now. When the professor would give a glimpse of excitement I would grasp it and remember it. I enjoyed looking at slide after slide in a dark room, even though it was an 8:00 a.m. class, but I disliked the course. Looking at 50 slides a day, and only taking a midterm and final was too difficult. I couldn’t remember the artist, date and title of the 50 on the test. I never understood why the professor didn’t help us make personal connections, have class discussions, and create other assessments. It was an opportunity for the professor to get young freshman to love art history, not dread every test.
As far as life advise, the importance of making art beyond the assignment. My undergraduate courses were a process of deadlines and grades. I would have benefited from more understanding of how art creation could help me with other struggles. I try to help my students understand they need art and recently I had reassurance. An alumni ask if she could play in the art studio during her winter break.
I too was much taken by the soda in the car. I have never been too picky about my vehicles, especially when the kids were little. I Love how he made them feel at ease in the car.
DeletePaige, I didn't know that there is a You Tube video of his lecture online. Thanks for mentioning that...
DeleteI watched the video last night and it was powerful to see him talking passionately and with love.
I accidentally picked up this book instead of the one by Prof. Fleukeger (I know I got that wrong, apologies Carol and Upe) and was thirty pages in when I realized my error. I remember thinking "Damn, that'll be a tearjerker...I'll let future Sarah worry about that"
ReplyDeleteI haven't gotten to page 104 yet, but I wanted to post about what's struck me thus far before I forget. The signed print from Shatner was both sad and uplifting because we all know the outcome of pancreatic cancer, but what didn't have to be an outcome was the publication of such an inspiring and successful book that would never had existed had Prof. Pausch not had to face such a sudden end-of-life situation, right in the middle of growing his family and career. So we can see that this scenario, although tragic, was most certainly not a no-win.
I am a highly spiritual person and feel connections to loved ones we've lost, like my beloved grandmother who I've talked about and even the older brother who was born too early. Some people think it's silly, and I get that because like color it's something that can only be felt and not easily described. It's been said that spirituality may be genetic, and I know there are many people out there who experience it much stronger than I do. I think this book is a fantastic gift to people of all spiritual levels. It's a la carte to those who are already deeply into practice, and for the non-spiritual, it offers a means of experiencing connection with people who have died so they may also experience that profundity. While Pausch's children did not have a chance to form many clear memories of their father, as he said in the intro, a detailed, highly personal lecture and book for them is the next best thing. A fantastic way for them to experience the presence and love of their father even in his physical absence.
One other thing this book indicates very strongly is the fragility of life. We all picture it as this set thing that starts at conception/birth and ends in the 70's-100's, hopefully with a successful career, adoring descendants, and a pat on the back for a job well done. But the truth is life is only as long as it is in each of our cases, and I think it's important to keep in mind that any of us could all kick off at any time. For me at least, it's inspiring, a reminder to work harder and play more so whenever time does come I can say I did something good for the world no matter the age I've reached. Prof. Pausch has done that very thing here. Although his life was only 1/2-2/3 as long as it had the potential to be, he went at it with tenacity--knew what he wanted and didn't give up until he had achieved it. He lived his dreams and left behind an important legacy in only 47 years. It makes me wonder, if we all only had 50 years to live instead of the assumed 80, what would change? Would we move faster? Would we get more done? Or would our society simply be a compacted version of what it is now, with school and jobs ending sooner? Would humanity be further along for the pressure of a lack of time, or not as far because of that lack--and have e been able to advance so rapidly in the last 200 years in part because of our lengthening lifespans?
As for my teachers, I think the best advice was to learn the value of knowing limits and going beyond them. I mean that with emphasis on the first clause--I had a tendency to go TOO FAR beyond my limits and ruin my work or not get it finished. My final undergrad professor did in fact teach me this, but it would have been so helpful to have internalized it sometime before the end of my eighteenth year of education. I grew up thinking it was noble to be wildly ambitious, but simply knowing how far beyond your limits it's reasonable to go--to foster real growth and not burnout that ultimately accomplishes nothing--is a VERY important lesson in teaching successful people.
Sarah, I feel along with you about connections with loved ones we've lost and I do not for a second feel it is silly. At my step mother's funeral there was a dragonfly. Sometimes I see a dragonfly at the weirdest places or strangest times and think of her. I wonder if it is her way of making me think of her. I had a friend once who could channel.... now I know many of you who do not believe in any of that stuff. But anyhew...she was a normal mother and wife- just had a gift. She didn't predict the future but those who had passed talked through her. I know, it sounds scary and creepy but she was just as real as you and me. She let my grandmother channel because I was so distraught at her passing. My grandmother and I were so close- best friends. She told me that my grandmother was not happy.. not happy at my choice to marry the man I was about to marry. This woman was my friend but I was still a little skeptical and did not put a lot of stock into what she told me. See she was spot on with other people but I did want to really believe she might be spot on with me. I married the man anyway and turned out to be the worst mistake of my life.
DeleteI have never let her channel with me again.. but I would love her to with my step mom. My heart aches to know she is alright.
I do not tell many people this story because it does make some uncomfortable..but since we are all family here... :)
There were a few items that stood out to me in the first readings of The Last Lecture. Although I never had a “Coach Graham” mentor growing up, I can relate to the broad lessons and wisdom to be gained in team sports. I too had athletic coaches as a youngster. I probably learned more from them than any other teacher I had in grade school, save my high school art teacher (that's a completely different story...). What I got from my coaches wasn't really about academics, or even sports knowledge. My coaches gave me the opportunity to look at myself as a team member, an integral part of a whole. I had the chance to experience the excellence of others and to see the consequences of being a weak link. Within this setting, my ability to self-evaluate was developed. Had I not played sports, I'm not sure when I would have developed this skill because my general academic courses did not seem to foster this characteristic in me and I was not receiving such guidance in my home environment. I especially liked the section on p.37 when it discusses building self-esteem and using head fakes to guide students to success.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard the term “Dutch uncle” before. Giving honest feed back is one of my daily challenges. Students today do, in general, seem more coddled than what I remember as a child. I find myself often struggling to give honest feedback to a student because I want my words to be positive and encouraging. As a child, I was taught that direct, critical feedback was a way of identifying my weaknesses and moving forward with learning. I encounter many examples today that really turn that thought upside down, encouraging educators to focus on the positive, and to ignore the negative. I see the wisdom in this philosophy, but I also have known the benefit of facing my deficiencies head on. I relate this to the author's words on pg. 78, “Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college, I really wanted my teachers to give me more advice on technical art skills. The University of Texas, Austin's Fine Art's department was very much entrenched in the theoretical aspect of being a creative artist. Although, I did not dislike this facet of art education, at the time I was very much seeking practical skills and application for my love of art making. Interestingly, the studio professor that I learned the most practical knowledge from was a watercolor instructor who would travel from studio to studio, looking and critiquing student work. I never took his actual class, but the brief interactions with him were very beneficial to my artistic development. I did have the opportunity to tell him that I appreciated his advice. Throughout my undergraduate art experience I did not receive any instruction on how to seek out becoming a working artist. I did realize this at the time and it is one of the things that led to me identifying my desire to be an art educator. As far as my educational coursework, I would have liked a broader exposure to the realities of being a public school art educator. My student teaching experience was very brief and only exposed me to a minute fraction of the demands and workings of the career. With all that being said, my honest answer to what advice would have helped me is really about me personally. I wish that I would have known the importance of speaking up and asking more of my professors. My grade school experience set me on a course of complacency: do the required work, only ask about the assignments, do not rock the boat. If I could talk to the younger, developing me, I would have told him to ask hard questions, question the seemingly obvious, and to verify how/ why the chosen path is what it appears. The questions would be directed to myself, introspectively, and to the faculty charged with helping guide my future. In hindsight, I believe I have been very fortunate in achieving the successes that I know today, but I wonder what I could have experienced had I meet a Dutch uncle and charged harder into more brick walls.
ReplyDeleteWhat chapter does 104 end on? I have the kindle version and it doesn't have any page number?
ReplyDeleteMy version says chapter 22. It's the end of section 3 and says 51% of book.
DeleteThank you so much!
DeleteJames,
DeleteI think what you said about your experience in your undergrad, is an important problem in many art schools. I agree with you that specially in undergrad the domination of theory and concepts can be problematic for many students. I think that students need to learn some skills to express their ideas into form and material. Also, I think these basic courses such as drawing painting, etc. don’t only teach “skills.” They helped the students to develop a part of aesthetics and style, which are very important…
Thanks for sharing this with us…
It's the end of part 3. Part IV starts on the next page
DeleteJames, I can relate to your struggle between giving a positive feedback and avoiding unnecessary coddling while being sincere. It is difficult to balance these. Probably the biggest challenge is to make students understand that everybody makes mistakes and these mistakes must be somehow cherished because they move us forward, while a sincere feedback is like a medicine whose taste you don’t really like (even if it has the fruity aroma of some well-chosen words), but you have to take it in order to get better.
DeleteAbout the book:
ReplyDeleteThe book had a shocking and strong impact on me. It started with a powerful beginning. If there is only the last lecture how should it be? “what wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?” He, then, begins his lecture: “I lectured about the joy of life,” about “honesty, integrity,” and “gratitude.” I could hear these voices throughout his words: when he talked about his parents, about Jai, about the freedom one gain from talking the truth, etc.
For me, the most interesting point in his lecture was his use of humor throughout out the book. I think humor is bizarre. It can make bitter truths durable and even joyful. In the whole parts of his story, I couldn’t forget that these words are coming from a dying person. But his senses of humor made the whole thing different. I wasn’t reading a sad story, but a man’s optimism, joy, and love about the life he had lived, even when his life was coming to its end.
I have found that the reason humor is always so useful is that people actually resonate with it. It forges a strong connection between the writer/artist/performer and the audience. Allie Brosch became famous after writing a tongue-in-cheek post about being suicidally depressed. People laughed, but they also understood--they felt she was speaking to them, and the post provided both humorous relief and solidarity. It's much harder to write a humorless piece about serious issues. While it may seem more appropriate, it's way too easy to come across as self-indulgent and unrelatable. I only got one chapter into Shoot the Damn Dog. The issue was that she was being so serious and melodramatic about the same situation Allie described so well that the writing was over-the-top and obnoxious, like this woman thought she invented depression. Contrast that to an accessible piece that everyone could laugh over but also strongly identify with. I learned to make fun of myself early on as a means of coping with loneliness in grade school. Humor makes tough situations more tolerable, giving us back power over something that so easily wrenches it away.
DeleteSarah, well put. Humor can give you back power.
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ReplyDeleteI wished I learn the value of being a “normal” person, or the power of not being perfect. I wished my teachers helped to embrace and accept my vulnerability and inadequacy. When I was a college student, I had few teachers that I felt connected, and they impacted my professional life and the paths I took. They helped me to look at my surroundings differently. However, their worldviews were full of pessimism and critical looks toward the artistic movements around us. This I think made me very perfectionist and idealist. I became critical of my own work the most. I have worked very hard in my whole life, but I never felt I am a good artist…because I am not perfect…I am missing many different qualities, and I am not able to figure our many questions I have. In my studio work, or in classes I teach, I make many mistakes, and many times I don’t make the brightest decisions. In the past, I hardly felt right about the result of my works, or was doubtful about the value of what I was doing. Recently, I have discovered the power of being vulnerable and mediocre. I have found out I do more when I don’t expect to make the perfect decisions. I helped more people if I share what I have learned to my students, while I am aware that I can make mistakes. I feel, embracing my vulnerabilities, and valuing my works with their inadequacies is a strength.
ReplyDeleteNiloofar, I would not doubt there are many fine artist masters who felt the same as you. I would tell you to never give up- keep learning and practicing.. because you realize how you feel and share with your students, you are helping them more than you realize.
DeleteNiloofar, I had a similar experience during my undergrad time. Most of my studio courses were not at all what I expected. The professors were a bit aloof and focused on aspect of art that I was much less interested in. After graduating from college, I struggled for several years with what I did and didn’t learn in my studio courses. It was college, they were professors… so, I figured what they pushed as art must be right. I knew deep down that if I followed their path, I would be miserable and end up hating art. Slowly, I broke free of those influences and began the journey of discovering my true art. I think part of my original conflict was due to my naïve understanding of learning and a bit of self doubt. Looking back, if I had been more aware, I believe that my experience could have been a more positive and fruitful one.
DeleteNiloofar, I came to the same conclusion as you, that when I don't aim for perfection, I do more and ironically, the outcome is better. I often spent too much time worrying about what I was going to do, than actually doing, and loosing precious moments of concentrated work this way. It's like a trap that lately I'm trying to avoid at all costs.
Delete1. Well worth my time. Written simply, but not at the expense of profundity. Through the lens of his own imminent humanity, Dr. Pausch helps his readers reckon with the finitude of their own time on this earth - to be sure, this book deals much more with how to live than how to die, as he intended. A helpful reminder to take little for granted, especially people and especially time.
ReplyDelete2. I wish someone had told me it is okay to ask for help. In an environment where everyone is so academically successful it is easy to get intimidated. It is easy to avoid professor's office hours because you don't want to appear less capable than the other students. Professors really, really want to help. I wish someone had told me to swallow my pride and take advantage of my resources. Not only would this have been extremely useful academically, but it also would have fostered a positive student-professor relationship.
3. As for life advise, having an open mind, and make a conscious effort to put yourself in other people's shoes. Realize that how you perceive a situation may not be the same way that everyone perceives it, and when faced with a conflict, try to see the situation from the other person's point of view - a lot of conflicts arise from misunderstandings, if you understand where someone else is coming from, you won't fight with people as much. Also, everyone has different ideas and life experiences, you can learn a lot about the world by talking to diverse groups of people and trying to see their point of view. If a concept is alien to you, educate yourself about it, don't be prejudiced.
I can understand the "asking others for help." I wish more people growing up would let us feel like asking for help is okay. I've definitely had some people make me feel like I should had have known the answer. I make sure to walk around and check for understanding and to let the students know that it's okay to ask for help. It's better than them not doing the project because they didn't understand.
DeleteKeisha,
DeleteI liked what you said that the book makes the readers to think of their remaining time to live and to love others. I had the same feeling. That time is limited to live and to share what we have learned to others...
Regarding number 1: I have done a lot of thinking about the role of writing over the years. I minored in it in my undergrad. What I've come to understand is this: a lot of people mistake complex writing for profundity. But the writing is the tool, not the end goal, and you can be the best writer in the world and if you have nothing to say no one will care. Compare that to JK Rowling, one of history's most beloved children's authors, whose writing was at times questionable due to comma splices, dangling modifiers etc. No one cared about that because she had something so enthralling to SAY.
DeleteIdeally a writer is both good and has something good to say--this makes it very easy to communicate using the very imperfect system of the written word. However, as long as the communication is clear, writing can be good whether it's simple or complex. And as long as there's a strong, resonant message, people will read.
I actually already owned this book but had not had the chance to read it yet. My mom gave it to me as a recommendation but also added, "it'll make you cry." I took it but did not read at the time she gave it to me. I didn't feel like reading a tearjerker at the moment but then, time past and I had forgotten I even had the book.
ReplyDeleteSo thanks to this class, I'm up and reading it and wondering why I hadn't before. Sometimes I find myself being "too busy" to do anything extra like read a book I've been wanting to read, or learn a new recipe and actually trying it out, or even seeing a movie. I try to make time for living and this book reminds me as to why. I have a friend who's invested in working and saving money until he retires. Says that he wants to retire early and then travel and do all the things he wants to do in life. I respect that, I think that's really smart, but that's not for me. You're not promised tomorrow, and so instead of waiting to do the things I want to do, I don't and do them now...or in teacher and student schedule...I do them during breaks.
This book really hits me when I start to think about his kids or when he brings up how his family will tell them about his father. I'm really close to my dad and could not picture going through life without him. He's always had the best advice, like, "it'll never feel like work if you love what you're doing." Or one of my favorites when I'm faced with a yellow light and debating if to press on the gas pedal, "losing a second of your life is better than losing your life in a second."
I really love that he focuses his last lecture on "living". I didn't have many teachers in high school talk to me about life. They usually stuck to their curriculum. In college it's a little more open and so some life advice was given but the one advice I wish I would have gotten was that it's okay to not know the answers sometimes.
Melissa, I too, had the book and did not read it. I knew I would cry as well. I am soooo glad to be reading it now.
ReplyDeleteHe is telling us what our priorities should be, or really, that we should focus on our priorities. With time as something we can not change, use it wisely.
The hot air balloon ride was so scary and amazing. I will never go up in one.
Dr. Pausch's attitude was one of acceptance, but still fight. Very noble. His wife, Jai, was such a rock. That had to be soo hard. It had to have been such a helpless feeling. I will be keeping tissues with me as we finish this book.
I wish that my college profs, in undergrad, had given us some sort of framework for going out into the world with a BFA degree. Should I have tried for an MFA? Why? I also wish I had been pushed a little more.
When I started college, my dad was a little upset that I was majoring in art. He wanted me to minor in math. yeah. (Mechanical engineer dad). A few years after I graduated and was working, not teaching at the time, he told me that I did the right thing. He said I was right to "follow my strengths". After the shock passed, I agreed. When I hear about kids going to school in the arts, I tell them to follow their strengths. And I tell that to those who pick another direction when the arts may be what they really need. Just as advice.
I really like the follow your strengths advice. Its is so simply stated, but incredibly meaningful and clear. I remember growing up being conflicted about my future- should I choose a high paying career, or a job that I think I would enjoy. If someone would have given me such advice, and I been wise enough to actually consider it, I wonder what I would have pursued. Very interesting indeed...
ReplyDeleteYou have all responded beautifully. Thank you for sharing your stories. I have been out of town at a conference and as such I am trying to catch up with all of you.
ReplyDelete