Last Lecture

My time is up. At Lincoln-Way that is. It is really hitting me that I will not be walking the halls of good old LW this fall. Lincoln-Way has been a part of my family forever. Alot of my family are graduates from LW, I student taught there, taught summer school right afterwards, and then got a job as a permanent sub. I also coached track for 2 seasons, volleyball for 1, and was the freshman/sophomore class sponsor. Lincoln-Way has been a huge part of making me who I am.

This summer was an exception, however. I really had the greatest class ever. And I never ever thought I'd say that about Freshman. I always thought I liked the upper-classmen the best, but this group of incoming Freshman took the cake. They were so willing to learn - all 30 of them. I asked them to get into groups, and their little desks would click together in such perfect harmony with no arguing or hesitating - it was such a beautiful sound to a teacher's ears. I'd give them a time-frame for work to be completed in, and they would finish it without getting off-task at all. Really, I could not have lucked out any more than I did this summer.

One day, we somehow got WAY off track (but it was right after a test, so I'm okay with giving them a brain-break from history for a few minutes before we switch gears during our 5-hour summer session days), and we started talking about the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. One of my students raised his hand and asked me "what would you talk about if it were YOUR last lecture?" I was taken back. As a teacher, sometimes you feel like what you say goes in one ear and out the other - especially in history, so it was crazy to think that a student was interested enough to ask me a personal, deep question. My response was "Well, there a few things I think I would want to try and impart onto my students, but I don't really know what I'd say until I got there." And then another student had an idea that literally made me shake in my wedge-pumps.

"Ms. Caschetta, you're moving. Your last day here is kind of like your last lecture. For us at least."

So we came up with a plan. After their final exam on the last day, instead of watching a movie, I would give my last lecture. Incredibly nervous? Heck yes. What would I say to these 14- and 15-year-olds that could possibly help them out in their future? Do I even have enough experience in life to be qualified to do something like this???

Without further ado, here is my "last lecture" that I gave my amazing class - the rules of life that I try to remember every day. (I wrote this all down on note cards, didn't really have a speech, so I elaborated on my main points with what I actually said to them.)



1. It's not easy to find out who you are meant to be in life, but when you do find out, OWN who you are and be proud of it.

2. Negativity gets you no where in life. Even when things are tough, I promise you that it will get better. The easiest way to get through the rough part is to stay away from the negativity and remain positive.

3. Live with no regrets, but never put yourself in a position to regret what might happen.

4. If you work really hard, and are kind to everyone, amazing things will happen.

5.  Treat others as you want to be treated. If you want respect, give it. If you want to be heard, listen to others. If you want to be loved, love others. If you want knowledge, you must be willing to learn from others. If you want your life to be fulfilling, give back to others.

6. Life is too short. Tomorrow is never a guarantee, so make sure that you always give thanks, and are happy with the choices you've made each and every day.



xoxo