letters to my class

Dear Humans,

“Do we have to?” is a teacher’s least favorite question. Because, yes, of course you do. But I guess it’s semi-polite of you to turn it into a question instead of just stating, “I don’t want to.”

But here’s the secret: Do the things you have to do in a way that you want to do them. Because if you only do the right things in life because someone told you to do them, you won’t get real far.

But if you uphold your responsibilities in a way that makes you really want to do them, then you’re gonna be set. 

It is a lot more work to do the things you’re supposed to do in your own way. But I promise you that it’s worth it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Today is going to be a good day because I’m wearing a new pair of pants. I buy new pants that are exactly like my old pants, so nobody else will notice. But no matter what happens today, I’ll have new-pair-of-pants-energy and overcome it.

It really is the little things in life that help us get through. Something as simple as wearing a new pair of pants is enough to lift our spirits and make us feel refreshed (at least for a while).

And that’s good news for the rest of us. Because the tiniest deed or simplest word to someone else can completely turn their day around. But we have to make sure we go out of our way to do it or say it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Yesterday one of you told me that human beings pee about seven times a day. I’ve been alive for nearly 15,000 days, but I guess I’ve never really counted.

The day before, one of you taught me that Komodo Dragons dig up graves and eat human remains. So people cover graves with rocks to keep the Dragons away.

And that’s what I love best about being a teacher. I get to learn weird, strange facts every day.

The world is too big, too old, too deep, and too weird to know it all (or really much of anything). So we rely on one another to teach us. It doesn’t matter how much you know; there’s always someone nearby who has something to teach you.

I can’t wait to find out what I learn today.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

This time of year I spend a lot of time testing the ripeness of fruit. I squeeze, heft, poke, and smell. Nectarines, peaches, and cantaloupes. Because eating a fruit before its perfect state of ripeness or letting it sit on the counter for too long are wastes.

It sure would be easier if there was an expiration date like there is on my processed foods. But that could never work for fruit. There are too many variables. The elements are different. The fruits are unique. So I’m there keeping a close eye on my fruit. 

Because the best things in life–like biting into a perfectly ripe peach–we have to figure out on our own. We have to pay attention to the clues and solve the mystery ourselves.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

I bought a new shirt last weekend and it came with a tiny baggie with two extra buttons. I’m sure I’ve never used the extra buttons that come with a new shirt because by the time a button falls off, I’ve misplaced the extras and just find the closest approximation from the button jar. Or I get rid of the shirt. 

But I think I’d still be a little mad if I bought a new shirt and it didn’t come with that little baggie of extra buttons.

We don’t only do things in life because they’re useful or necessary. Sometimes we do them because we think they ought to be done. We can’t control if other people use it or ignore it; we can only keep providing those little baggies of extra buttons.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

When people are learning to play the guitar, they complain about their fingers hurting. The steel strings really cut them raw. And the only way to make your fingers strong is to keep on playing. 

When people are learning to play the guitar, the people they live with complain about all the racket. Because there is nothing worse than hearing someone mess up the opening riff of “Smoke on the Water” over and over and over. 

A lot of people give up at this point. Because their fingers hurt and their families hate them. But if you want to become a good guitar player, you have to keep going.

Because the only way to be good at something is to get through the being bad part.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

When you left this morning, your family might have told you to work hard and do your best because education will give you a good life. 

And it’s true. If you graduate from high school and continue your education beyond high school, you will probably make more money, live longer, and be healthier and happier.

But it’s really hard to do all of that by yourself. So life surrounds us with groups of people to support us. Our family is one of the most important ones. But our classmates are important too.

So yes, do your best, pay attention, and work hard every day to accomplish your goals. But also remember to help out your classmates. Because each of our futures will be partially determined by what all of us do.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Last weekend my neighbors were happily planting petunias in the ground. In shorts and tank tops while the birds sang and the dirt got under their fingernails.

Last night my neighbors were furiously covering their petunias. Desperately draping blue tarps to protect them from the oncoming late May snow storm. 

We should be thoughtful about the things we can control. It’s good to have a plan. Most years in Colorado, it’s fine to put things in the ground after Mother’s Day. But sometimes mother nature has other plans. And we have to deal.

A small amount of our success in life comes from the things we can control, but most of our success comes from how we respond to the things we cannot.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

The pile of to-be-folded laundry sitting on the couch is daunting. That means it feels insurmountable. That means you just want to walk away from it.

But then you pick up one shirt, grasp it by the shoulder seams, give it two good flaps, and fold it up. And then you do one more. And on and on. One piece at a time as the pile shrinks.

It’s a good thing we live our lives one day at a time, otherwise they might feel daunting and insurmountable as well. So we grab the day by the shoulder seams, give it a few good flaps, and do the best we can. And we do the same thing with every other day in our formerly insurmountable laundry pile.

Except for those unmatched socks. They’re staying on the couch. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Yesterday we classified leaves. And even though we learned three different systems of classification, we still had a little trouble figuring out exactly which group to put the leaves in. Is this leaf round, egg-shaped, heart-shaped, or oval?

Because the leaves aren’t in on the classification scheme. Humans created these groups to help us observe and analyze. Nature is oblivious and in no way tries to fit in. Some might even say that our methods of classification say a whole lot more about us than the things we’re trying to understand. 

So we see some overlap. We see some confusion. That’s what always happens when we put things in groups: some things just don’t easily fit inside the lines we’ve drawn.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt