letters to my class

Dear Humans,

Some mornings when I go to make coffee, I notice that the cats puked on the carpet. So I pretend I don’t see it and step over it. But while making coffee I forget about it and without fail, inevitably, every single time, I step right in it.

Which is a bummer. But it lifts my heart a little. Because it makes me think that there might be a little justice in this world after all. If my misdeed led to an immediate consequence, maybe other bad deeds in this world are also being punished. Maybe my enemies have cat puke on their feet too.

And if I do the right thing–clean up the cat puke immediately–maybe life will be just a little bit better.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

On Friday we had our ice cream social. And I don’t think there’s a better metaphor for what we’re trying to do in our classroom than an ice cream sundae. (Plus, the best metaphors are edible.)

I scooped out plain, vanilla ice cream from a big plastic bucket. And I tried really hard to make sure I gave everybody the same-sized scoops. But then you customized your sundae with the toppings that you and your classmates brought in. 

And that’s what a classroom is like. We all get a lot of the same stuff that I dutifully scoop out. But to make it a sundae–to make it good–you have to choose from the gifts that you and your classmates bring in on your own.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

The cringe is unavoidable. You’ll look back at school pictures and shake your head at your hair or outfit. You’ll thumb through old journals and go red with embarrassment. You’ll think about something you once said at a party and want to light out to the hills and never see another human being again.

But cringe is the price we pay for time. And time is the gift that allows us to change. Change what we wear, what we think, and who we are. And those changes always come cursed with the memory of who we used to be. Though in time we come to see it more as a blessing.

But those sideburns were always a mistake.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

When we learn our Fifty, Nifty States, kids always ask how the states got their shapes. For many it’s pretty obvious that it’s natural boundaries like rivers and coastlines. But for all those straight-line states, it’s an equally obvious answer–we, humans, shaped them. And then they shaped us.

Because that’s what humans do. Through words, customs, and laws, we create a world that sits on top of the natural world. And over time, that human-created world gets mixed into the natural world and we start to think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

And this is not a bad thing. And it’s not a good thing. It’s just an unavoidable thing. One of those stubbornly human things.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

My family’s taco night is pretty great. To go with the brown boring basics, we have all these little bowls full of colorful ingredients–red chopped tomatoes, bias-sliced green onions, chipotle-dusted sour cream, purple pickled onions. And you put it all together in your oven-heated hard shell and you have a spectacularly crunchy, spicy, greasy first bite. 

But then there’s the mess. Because all those little bowls need cleaning. And the pots and pans need scrubbing. Not to mention all the time that went into the chopping, dicing, and slicing. 

Most of life is preparing for and then cleaning up after. So we have to make sure that one spectacular first bite is worth it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

On Friday, our Student of the Month award winner brought us all cupcakes. Because she knows that when something good happens to one of us, it is good for all of us.

Because when good fortune strikes, the best thing to do is share it. Even if that good fortune is almost solely the result of your own hard work, intelligence, or effort (though it seldom is), you should spread it around like the good stuff it is.

Because if we keep our success to ourselves, it hardens into something like greed and selfishness. And that makes it far less likely that we’ll get any more of it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

I let my car get a bit messy. Detritus from the last few weeks layered itself on my seats and floors–McDonalds bags, hoodies, magazines and junk mail. 

But I discovered a hack for fixing the problem–clean it one item at a time and keep going until you’re done. Because that’s really the only way to fix the persistent problems in our life. Keep at them. Over and over.

We could try to turn ourselves into different people with different habits and dispositions. (And lots of places sell the cheap, plastic stuff that promises to help.) But one piece at a time is a lot more effective.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

It’s a great feeling when a favorite songs comes on the radio. “Yes! I love this song!” But if you were to pick out that same song on your music streaming app, it wouldn’t be nearly the same. Because you know that no one else is listening.

The radio, however, goes out to everyone. So the person in the car next to you might just be listening to the same song. And even though your windows are rolled up and tinted, and idling engines are the only music between you, your heads are nodding in unison to the beat.

There’s a lot in today’s world that is personalized. But we still find the greatest pleasure in what is shared.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans

I like to sing, so we do it a lot in class: US states, morning greetings, multiples of 7, and other sundry nonsense. I’m not particularly great at it. But don’t let lack of skill diminish your joy in something. It often makes it more fun.

Plus, just like humans are inherently moved by stories, there’s something special about rhythm and rhyme. They help us remember things because they help us connect to those things. And likewise connects us to other people.

Think of special life moments and you can be pretty sure there will be a song: first wedding dance, funeral processions, start of a new year, and happy birthdays. So keep singing.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

I’ve often talked with my daughters about the difference between want and need. You want a Crumbl cookie, but you don’t need a Crumbl cookie. Even if their marketing makes you think so.

And yet, what we all really need most in this life is some other people we can trust. We build that trust by providing for each other–our time, our attention, and sometimes our treats. Because the line between want and need isn’t always as obvious as we think; so we provide both.

So be stingy with your own wants, but generous in satisfying the wants of others. They need it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt