letters to my class

Dear Humans,

Sometimes when I’m cooking dinner I like to pretend I’m hosting my own cooking show. I think about what lines I would say, and I develop a cooking persona–lovable, knowledgeable, cool.

It seems silly, but doing so makes the cooking a little more fun. Otherwise it can be a lot of drudge work–cut this, clean up this, burn this because I forgot about it on the back burner.

Most of all, being my own food show host makes me pay closer attention to what I’m doing. And when we look closely and really think about what we’re doing, it’s almost impossible to be bored.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Somebodies,

In the same speech that Martin Luther King Jr. told his audience to sweep streets like Michelangelo, he told them that they must always insist on their own somebodiness.  He told that audience of middle schoolers that they must have “a deep belief in [their] own dignity, [their] worth and [their] own somebodiness.”

We are all somebody. We are all worthy of dignity and respect–not because of our accomplishments or talents, but because we are all human beings. Don’t let anybody treat you as less than the somebody that you are. And, more importantly, don’t treat yourself as less than the somebody that you are.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

What we need in this world are allies–people who have our backs. Because you’re going to find yourself on the side of the road and needing a ride. You’re going to find yourself a few dollars and short needing cash. You’re going to find yourself not knowing what to do and needing someone to call.

The most important decisions I’ve made in life are who I’m going to spend it with. So while I’ve tried to work hard, follow the rules, and make good choices, there’s always a time when we’re going to need someone’s help. The best thing we can do is make sure we surround ourselves with those people.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. said those words to junior high students in 1967. I know they’re still true today. You may not know what you want to do with your life, but if you get into the habit of always working hard, always doing your best, and always taking great pride in what you do, then you will become great in whatever your calling will be.

Our future is shaped by our habits. Each day gives us the opportunity to develop positive habits. Use them.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

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