letters to my class

Dear Humans,

Labor Day–It’s a nice day to buy a mattress or a new outfit at Kohl’s. But it has a real purpose as well. It’s a day we think about workers and the movement to protect workers.

Not that long ago a lot of people had to work 6 or even 7 days a week. Conditions could be bad and pay was lousy. For some, conditions and pay are still rough today. But a lot of people have suffered and fought hard for better working conditions for themselves and for everyone else. Yesterday was the day we honor them.

You’ll spend a lot of your life working. You’ll do it to pay your bills, but you’ll also find that work is one way to shape your life and become the person you want to be. So it’s important that you can do it safely and with freedom.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

We often say “I’ll believe it when I see it,” but we really ought to turn that around. Because we really only see things that we already believe.

And then we bury those beliefs deep inside ourselves and imagine they’re a natural part of who we are. And we refuse to change them or even challenge them.

We probably spend too much time in schools trying to fill your mind with information and not enough time teaching you how to change your mind. We probably spend too much time teaching you how to know things and not enough teaching you how to learn things–and unlearn things. We probably put too much emphasis on certainty, and not enough on doubt.

The truth is that changing your mind about things is a superpower. Because it allows you to see things that used to be hidden.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

When I meet up with former students, they often tell me that they wish they would have been better students in my class. “I wish I would have worked harder” or “I wish I would have listened better.”

I don’t accept those apologies. Because they’re unnecessary. Sure, they could have finished a few more math assignments. And if they would’ve listened better I might have a few hairs left on my head. But I know they did the best they could at the time. 

And the truth is that after these conversations with former students, I often think to myself, “Gee, I wish I would have been a better teacher to these kids.” Even though I too was doing the best I could at the time.

So we face the future–the only direction we can face–and do our best each day. And we hope our past failures make today’s best a little better than it was yesterday.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

People are like incandescent lightbulbs. We’ve got all these parts–filaments, bases, wires, and inert gases–but what really matters is the light we give off. In fact, when a lightbulb is lit up, you can’t even see those parts because the light obscures them. All of these pieces and parts have to work together correctly, but, in the end, what matters is the light that the bulb puts out into the world.

Humans, of course, are even more complex than lightbulbs. But we’re also judged by the light we emit. Like lightbulbs, we’re also wildly inefficient and require a ton of energy to create even our meager light. But we do it because it’s dark out there, and we need each other’s light.

So, shine on. And don’t put too much thought on how bright your light is. In the darkness, any light will do.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Being a kid means living under someone else’s rules. And it’s not always fun. You want to make your own rules. You want to make your own choices. You want to be independent.

But you’ll have plenty of time in life for that. And sometimes it’s great–you get to eat cookies whenever you want. But the thing they don’t always tell you about freedom and independence is that you’ll also have to deal with the consequences by yourself. Good luck falling asleep with a belly full of cookies.

So, for now, be grateful for the limits that adults give you. And pay attention to them. Caring adults set limits to try to teach you how to set your own. Because freedom isn’t just being able to choose whatever you want for yourself. Freedom is mostly setting your own limits on the choices you make. And then dealing with the consequences.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

My mother carried me for nine months and kept me alive for the first few years of my life when I was completely vulnerable. And then the hard part came. Because then the world asked her to put me out into the world.

So she dressed me in corduroy overalls and she spit on her thumb to rub the smudges off my face. And I went to school.

And the best times in my life were those moments when I was out in the world and I made my mother proud. When I made the winning shot, when I sang the beautiful song at the concert, when I brought home an A plus and put it on the fridge.

So whoever it is in your life who loves you like a mother–whoever has the job of presenting you to the world–do your best to make them proud.

I assure you there’s nothing better.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

We all want to do BIG things–build communities, become skilled at our jobs, and raise respectable children. But BIG things are just lots of little things stuck together.

When we see other people do BIG things, we don’t always see that. We think they’re supernaturally talented or special. But, if you look closely enough, you can see the seams where they stitched all those little pieces together to make the BIG thing.

But little things take time. Little things don’t win you much glory. And little things are hard to do. And that’s exactly how we know they’re so important.

So do the little things today. And if you keep doing them everyday, they will become BIG.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

We spend a lot of time trying to reach our own goals by making ourselves the best we can be. We practice, we do the unpleasant things that we know will help us in the long run, and we try our best.

But no accomplishes anything on their own. We all rely on the help of others. So maybe we ought to spend more time thinking about others than about ourselves.

Because a plant can only grow in the right conditions–good soil, enough water, and ample sunlight. And no matter how much the plant gets better at being a plant, if those conditions aren’t in place, the plant isn’t going to grow. 

We’re not plants, of course. But our conditions matter. And unlike plants, we can create the conditions for our own growth. We can create better communities for ourselves and others to thrive. And that might just be the best use of our time.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Knowledge is not something you collect and have to stuff into your brain. It’s not like the artificial Christmas tree in my crawl space that I fruitlessly try to force back into its original cardboard box. You don’t have to wrap your brain in duct tape to try to keep your knowledge contained.

Rather, knowledge is a lens for seeing the world. When we learn something new, it’s not because we gained more stuff; it’s because we now have a different way of seeing. We’ve grinded our lenses so we can see the world better–hopefully more like it really is.

Knowledge doesn’t change the world, but it changes how we see it. With better lenses, we see it more clearly, we see a wider angle, and we see it more closely.

And the more you see–the better you see–the more you know.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

On Saturday afternoon my lawn didn’t look too bad. It was a little shaggy and scraggly, but it wasn’t anything too pressing. It could probably wait a few more days or even until next weekend.

And then my neighbor mowed their lawn and all of a sudden my grass looked like a jungle.

It’s funny because during the week I make all these mental plans to mow the lawn, pull weeds, and get everything looking sharp. And then the weekend actually comes, and I don’t want any part of it.

But when I actually pick myself off the couch, put my shoes on, and do it, it’s not that bad. In fact, it’s kind of fun and it doesn’t take too much time. Most of the time is spent putting it off.

And isn’t that the truth of so many things in life: usually the hardest part is just putting on your shoes.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt