Dear Taskmasters,

Your goal in school is to learn to use your mind well. When you face a problem in the future, your greatest tool will be your mind. Now is your chance to put in a lot of practice to sharpen your mind.

It’s helpful to think of your mind as a muscle that you can make stronger with lots and lots of practice. But it’s important that your practice is focused and useful. To be a better reader you have to make sure you’re reading and making meaning. To be a better writer, you have to make sure you’re challenging yourself to do the best writing you can do. To be a better problem solver, you need to make sure you’re engaged and actively trying to solve a problem in creative ways.

It’s not easy. But it’s worth the effort.

Sincerely,

Mr. H