letters to my class

Dear Humans,

They moved your Gaga Ball pit to the under-construction school next door. You can see the worn away grass in the perfect shape of the former pit. And when you first came out to recess and saw it, you thought, “What do we do now?”

So you did what kids do: you made up a new game. A variation of Gaga Ball, but without the walls. And it’s a little bit unhinged, and I’m not totally sure of the rules. But you seem to be figuring it out. And everyone is having a good time.

Someone is definitely going to get hurt, but we’ll deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the purest form of play possible: creating your own game.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Last week my family went to the Maurice Sendak exhibition at the Denver Art Museum. Sendak wrote and illustrated Where the Wild Things Are and many other books and plays.

And the reason that Sendak’s children’s books were (and remain) so popular is that he didn’t sugarcoat anything. He treated children with respect, and he knew that they know that life is tough, life is wild, and, sometimes, life is ugly. In exactly the same ways that it can be beautiful, wonderful, and full of joy.

And he drew that in his pictures. And he wrote that in his words. Because he knew that kids knew it. Even if other adults don’t always like to admit it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Before Thanksgiving break we had a special assembly to honor Veterans Day. And we even had the Honor Guard from the local American Legion come and present the colors. And when they did, you all said the Pledge of Allegiance with gusto.

But you didn’t stop there. Because we say the Pledge of Allegiance every day in English and in Spanish, as soon as we said the words “justice for all” you went right into the pledge in Spanish. And the honor guard looked a little bit confused, but they went with it. 

Because I think they know that the Pledge of Allegiance is for everybody who calls this country home, no matter if we call it the United States or los Estados Unidos.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

We’re learning about the Age of Exploration. That time in history when Europeans looked out across the oceans and “discovered” the New World. And I don’t think we can really understand how much this time period changed the world.

Because that’s what always drives our human story–going to new places, seeing new things, meeting new people, trading stuff and ideas. And it’s those interactions that created (and continues to create) our New World.

And of course our impulse to explore gets mixed up with those other ugly human impulses of greed and pride and can lead to bad outcomes. And yet the story will continue into the future as we continue to explore this world and others.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Not everybody can be the chef. There’s not enough room in the kitchen. Plus, being the chef takes literally days of planning and strategy–thawing and brining the turkey, baking the pies, prepping the vegetables and sides. It’s a full time job (with overtime) over the holidays. Who wants that?

Plus, somebody has to wash the dishes. And washing the dishes is the best job. It takes about half an hour and requires almost no planning. You just put your head down and turn the music up. 

But whether you’re the chef or the dishwasher, the key thing is that you contribute. Something.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

I think it’s pretty natural for humans to think of ourselves first. To worry about our own needs (or even wants) before the needs of others and to take for granted the things that we have. But just because something is natural, doesn’t mean it’s right. Humans can be capable of great kindness and thoughtfulness. But it takes practice. 

So it’s nice to have a day where we all get to sit around a big turkey and say what we’re thankful for. But, like everything in life, we only get good at gratitude if we practice gratitude all the time. 

So show gratitude and thanksgiving for all that you have (and usually take for granted) next Thursday, but do it on the days you don’t eat turkey as well.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Sometimes people complain that schools don’t teach students enough useful stuff, like how to do your taxes, change a tire, and tuck in your shirt. 

And it must be true because we’re learning about moon phases. Which is about the most useless thing in the solar system. No one in a job interview will ever ask you about moon phases. And if people find out that you know the current moon phase, they might think you’re a lunatic.

But knowing how things work and recognizing patterns is an infinitely transferable skill. So if you can figure out what causes the moon phases and explain it to others, I think you’ll probably be able to figure out what to do with your W-2.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Because the Moon has no wind or liquid water, Buzz Aldrin’s bootprint will probably be there for a long, long time. (Though a meteorite could smudge it.) Here on Earth, our footprints are often gone almost as soon as we make them. 

But imagine if they weren’t. Only 12 people have stepped foot on the Moon. Here on Earth, we’ve had somewhere around 100 billion people walking around on two feet. That’s a lot of footprints! Picture the mess we’d have if they hung around forever.

But do not fret. There are other ways to leave your mark here on Earth, long after all of your footprints have been erased.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Last week we read about child labor in the United States. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing and factories and mines needed little hands to run them. Because kids were cheaper and less likely to complain (or organize) they were pushed into dirty, loud, and dangerous workplaces. 

It took reformers’ concerted efforts to convince the American people that this was wrong and the law should be changed. As we learned, changing laws is difficult and time-consuming. And making sure those laws remain in place can sometimes be just as hard.

Because a child’s “job” is to be a child–to learn and to play. And those things happen in the home, in schools, and in parks–not the workplace.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Sometimes the worksheet just doesn’t have enough room on the answer line. So you have to go beyond it. You squeeze the rest of your sentence into the margin or cram it in between the line spacing below in a tiny script.

Perhaps we should be more succinct. Perhaps I shouldn’t give you worksheets in the first place. But I think this is a problem we’ll always face–not enough space for what we have to say.

Because one of our callings is to go beyond the template. To say more than is expected of us and say it in a different way. And the only way we can do that is to go beyond the lines that are drawn for us.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt