letters to my class

Dear Humans,

One thing I’ve learned as a teacher is that every single person has something to teach you. You might think you know a lot of things, but there’s always someone in the room who knows something you don’t. It doesn’t matter their age or where they’re from or what they do. They have something that you need.

Because the world doesn’t keep its knowledge in books or libraries or even in the digital cloud; it stores it in each of the 8 billion people spread around the globe.

But if you only surround yourself with people who know the same things you know, then you won’t learn much of anything. So include others and put yourself in new situations. Only then will you begin to discover the depth and wonder of the world’s knowledge.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

But second days. Second days are really important.

Because on day two we show who we really are. When we’re tired or bored or think no one is looking. On second days, we reveal the current version of the true us. And it’s that version that we should work on making the best we can.

So if your new Vans are a little scuffed or your pencil doesn’t ever get quite as sharp as it did on day one, that’s okay. Everyone is going through the same thing. Because now we’re in the heart of it. We’ve left behind the gloss of the first day and we’re ready to do the real work, the work that keeps us coming back every day, trying to be a better version of our real selves.

One day at a time.

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

It seems like I spend most of my time in the shower adjusting the temperature. It’s too hot or too cold and I constantly have to move the handle. And then I yell because I made it too hot or too cold. And then readjust and readjust again.

Sometimes I dream the dream of my shower always being the perfect temperature. And I suppose I could make it happen if I took some drastic changes. If I installed a tankless water heater or if I made a strict schedule of hot water use in my house.

But, honestly, adjusting the shower temperature is pretty low on my list of life’s irritations. And it’s a nice exercise for living. Because in our complex world full of wonder and weirdness, we have to be prepared to adjust and readjust and readjust again.

Sincerely,

Mr. H

Dear Humans,

I love sandwiches. I mean, I really love them. Not only do I like eating them and making them, but I also like thinking about them. Because a sandwich isn’t just meat and cheese between two floppy slices of bread. A sandwich is a system.

The story is that John Montagu was playing cards and had the eureka idea to put his roast beef between two slices of bread so he could eat it with one hand. But that’s not really how things are invented. In truth, people have been putting meat and cheese and other foods on bread or wrapped in bread for centuries and centuries.

And like the best things in life, a sandwich can look many different ways. Variation is the rule. As long as it has certain components—bread, of course, and fat and acid and something crunchy and something creamy—then it’s a sandwich in my book.

Sincerely,

Mr. H

Dear Humans,

We stirred salt into water and it disappeared. But we know it’s still there, just in pieces to small to see. We know because we measured the mass, and the mass of the solution was more than the mass of the water.

We expect science to give us the “Wow!” moment with big explosions and beautiful colors and ideas that melt our minds, but it’s actually a lot simpler than that. But also a lot more profound.

Because science is a pair of magical goggles that lets us see what’s not there. With tools and investigations we see things that our normal, feeble human senses just can’t pick up. Science extends our senses and lets us experience the world that exists beyond.

I’ll take that over simple explosions.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Thoreau has that famous quote that we should beware of any enterprises that requires us to buy new clothes. And I think I know what he means. The clothes do not make the person. Just because I spend $40 on workout clothes at Target doesn’t mean I’ll start working out.

But when I wear my apron in the kitchen, I feel a lot more capable. I make crisp, assured movements and work at a steady and efficient pace. I feel like a professional.

Because the truth is that lot of life is about putting on an act. The ol’ fake it till you make it. But there’s not really a point where we look around and say, “I’ve made it!” So we just keep faking it. Not because we’re trying to fool other people; mostly because we’re trying to fool ourselves.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I like to assume that everyone is doing the best they can and that people will do the right thing when given the chance.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen. And some people will some times take advantage of you and make you look and feel like a fool.

But the alternatives is that I live with my guard constantly up, treat other people as enemies, and always expect the worst. And if I go and do that, then I make of fool of myself.

I know which I prefer.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I was driving home from work yesterday, feeling tired and a little stressed and just all wrapped up in my own business. And then I saw a Mary Kay pink Cadillac and that quickly unwrapped me from my own stuff and reminded me how big the world is.

Because it reminded me that though my stuff is important to me, most people in the world are wrapped up in far different stuff. Some people are out here selling over $100,000 of makeup door to door every year. They most definitely have different worries and concerns than me.

It’s a good reminder that the world is a whole lot bigger than our view of it, and our way of being in the world is just one of billions and billions of possibilities.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Do me a favor: anytime you think something is weird or strange or you think you just don’t like it, learn more about it. Get really knee-deep thick into it and make yourself feel uncomfortable and foolish. Because, remember, I used to think Steely Dan wasn’t worth listening to. And boy was I wrong.

But it’s okay to be wrong. Its okay to change your mind and believe something that you didn’t used to believe. That doesn’t make you a hypocrite; it makes you human.

And if you don’t try every day to make yesterday’s you look like a know-nothing fool, then you’re just not living right.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Every once in a while one of you puts a weeks-old assignment in the turn-it-in bin. And it’s always crumpled up, like it’s been in the bottom of a backpack for weeks, and it usually has a smudge of grape jelly in the upper corner.

And though at first I’m a little put out that someone would dare turn in an assignment so late, I actually love it when that happens. Because it’s never too late to do the right thing. And it’s never too late to learn something new.

Most of what we learn in life comes a bit too late anyway. You’ll find yourself often saying, “I wish I would have known THAT before.” But then the next day comes and perhaps you’re a bit more ready for the next day’s lesson.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck