letters to my class

Dear Listeners,

I think all people just want to be heard. There’s so much noise out there, and there are so many distractions. We tend to get sucked into our own world and fall in love with the sound of our own voices and devices.

But deeply listening to one another can change the world. It shows that we’re willing to learn something new, willing to consider a point of view other than our own, and willing to put someone else above ourselves. These are the types of acts that promote peace and understanding. And our world needs a whole lot more of that.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I could keep a big old jar of minced garlic in my fridge and dollop a spoonful in the pan anytime a dish called for garlic. But I really like peeling garlic. Even though it’s slow. Even though it leaves my hands sticky and stinky. If I make myself pay attention while I do it, I have a lot of fun peeling garlic.

Life is full of these little pleasures: pausing to admire a freshly sharpened pencil; cracking sheets of ice in the sidewalk gutter; popping a jigsaw puzzle piece into place on the first try.

But those pleasures are only available if we give them our time and attention.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Lookers,

Medical doctors have to know a lot. They go to school for years and years. They read studies to stay up to date. Their brains are stuffed with information about treatments, symptoms, and diagnoses.

But there’s a famous saying that all doctors know: “more is missed by not looking than not knowing.”

The same is true for us. Knowing is important. But what we know doesn’t matter if we don’t pay attention to what’s in front of us.

So today make sure you’re really looking. And I’ll think you’ll find that what you know is enough.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear World Dwellers,

I had a lot of fun coloring in biomes on the map yesterday. It’s amazing how diverse our world is and how diverse individual countries are. We often think of the United States as one thing, clearly defined by its borders. But it contains multitudes: grasslands, forests, deserts, taiga.

And for as many types of biomes as there are in the world, there are even more ways of living in that world. Life is both shaped by, and shapes, the world we live in. So the better we understand the physical nature of our Earth, the better we can understand the people who call it home.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Readers,

I like to read nonfiction so I get the facts and particulars about what happened in the past. But if I want to get the flavor of what happened, I turn to historical fiction.

Now, we know the difference between fiction and nonfiction, and we know the difference between first-hand accounts and second-hand accounts, and we know the importance of knowing the difference between them.

But there’s just something about historical fiction–when an author who can only ever write a second-hand account puts on a costume and pretends to be someone writing a first-hand account–that shows me the “truth” of history.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

We can be lazy, selfish, and unthinking when left to our own devices. I’d eat cookies for supper every night if I could. I’d drive way too fast if it was allowed. And I’d leave my garbage can out on the curb all the time if the HOA didn’t send me nasty letters about it.

We set up constraints and rules to help guide our behavior. We can’t do it alone; we help one another be good people because we need good people to create the kind of communities we want to live in.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Time-Bound Humans,

One of my many pet peeves is when people say they didn’t do something because they “didn’t have time.” The universe grants us each the same number of hours in a day. How we spend them is up to us.

Wouldn’t it be better if we told the truth–“That wasn’t a priority” or “I just really didn’t want to” or “I was watching Kevin Love outlet pass highlights on YouTube.” We might lose some friends, but at least we’d be honest.

Besides, how we spend our precious time shows up in the people we become. It’s best that we own it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Helpers,

Last night after swimming lessons, my older daughter had a lot of trouble putting her socks back on her wet, wrinkled feet. So I helped her, rolling her socks down to the toes and slowly sliding the sock up over her heel.

“How’d you get so good at that?” she asked. I just shrugged and laughed.

I’m not “good” at putting socks on wet feet, and I think she could have gotten those socks on her feet by herself. But putting socks on wet feet is miserable. And when you’re miserable, it’s nice to have someone help you along.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

Driving isn’t that hard. Lots of people do it. And the car does most of the work. And yet, last year in the United States over 100 people died every day in car wrecks. That’s because driving requires focus and attention, and we are so easily distracted.

In life, if you keep your head on a swivel and pay attention, you’ll be about 99% of the way to success. It doesn’t require undue intelligence or effort or creativity. Just keep your eyes open and be aware.

Attention and focus are superpowers. Use them.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I hope we teach you enough to make you skeptical. Skeptical means you examine something from every angle before you believe it. Because it’s a mess out there: grifters want to sell you what you don’t need; liars want to convince you of what isn’t true; and scare-mongers want you to fear any new thing you don’t understand.

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If something lines up with what you want to believe, you should probably look at it again.

Our future depends on your ability to be skeptical, to be smart, to be wise.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck