letters to my class

Dear Humans,

In the morning I follow the same routine: coffee and notebook. Every day. Simple.

Because who knows what I’ll see when I look out the window. Some days it’s clear, some days it’s cloudy. Some days it’s windy, some days it’s calm. Some days it’s snow-covered, some days it’s bone-dry. I can’t control any of it.

And when I open the news app on my phone it gets even crazier. And messier. And more complex. And also outside of my control.

So I keep the things I can control as simple as possible. Then, maybe, I’m at least semi-prepared to face the complexities that I will face throughout the day.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

I hear the whispers: “Twenty more minutes until school’s out.” And I feel it too. But does that feel like the best way to use our time? Wishing it were past?

We all are bound by time. We have appointments and meetings, and things have to run on a schedule.

But living by the clock can make us ignore what’s in front of us. And my happiest moments are when I’m fully engaged with who and what is in front of me, and I forget about time. I wonder what life would be if I always lived that way?

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

My brother doesn’t sort his silverware when he unloads his dishwasher. He just dumps them into his drawer. Some people (probably our mother) can’t fathom this. To them, this is not only inefficient and untidy but morally wrong.

But I appreciate it (even if my wife won’t let me do it). There are lots of ways to live in this world, and the people who choose a way other than the well-worn path have a lot to teach us. We should appreciate those who refuse to stick to society’s norms and expectations, even if we choose to keep our own silverware well-organized.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Life is mostly doing things you’ve never done before–things you’re totally unprepared for: driving a car for the first time, raising children, burying loved ones. But you do them and you suffer through them and you learn something. And then you find that you might never have to do them again.

But you might have to do something similar, so finding the bigger lesson helps. Living with our eyes open, ready to learn whatever lessons life has to teach us, helps.

And having confidence helps. Everyone everywhere is unprepared for the living that life asks of them. But we do it. You can too.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Writers,

I don’t care at all about competitive bass fishing. But yesterday morning I eagerly read an article about it. I was so into the article that I even watched a couple YouTube videos of people fishing. Can you imagine?

But that’s what good writing does–it makes us care about strange people and foreign worlds. And if you learn to do it well (and it’s something everyone can learn) you gain the power of holding people’s attention and making them care about what you do.

And in this world, where information is power, knowing how to use it well is the greatest superpower there is.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Some things in life are hard: creating a meaningful life, finding true friends, figuring out the truth.

But some things in life are super easy: making your bed in the morning, following the rules of the road, putting your name on your paper.

If we do the easy things automatically, then we free up brain space to focus on the hard stuff. But it takes practice, and it takes discipline, and it takes focus: you’ve got to do it everyday, every time, without fail. And soon, it just becomes part of who you are: a person who is ready to tackle the hard stuff.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Creators,

The indifferent world is big, busy, and crowded. And it doesn’t pay much attention to us as individuals. So we have to shake it awake and make it take notice.

We do that by creating beautiful things.

No matter what you’re making–a painting, an essay, a math test, or even a grocery list on the back of a piece of junk mail–make it the most beautiful thing it can be. Put your best into it because what you create is you on the page and you out in the world.

Make sure the world takes notice.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Writers,

The world is a wild and chaotic place. But our human minds structure it in certain ways so we can understand it. Often, we take these structures for granted. We don’t think about them or investigate them. But if we do, our minds, and the world itself, becomes much more understandable.

So when you’re reading something or writing something or thinking about something, don’t just focus on the thing itself. Don’t just ask, “What is it?” Ask how it works. Don’t view it as something that just exists in the world, investigate where it came from, who made it, and how we humans understand it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

School is hard. We adults expect you to stay focused on academics, but your friend is at the next table, and you want to discuss such-and-such that so-and-so said. Or maybe you have to solve a story problem with the girl who pushed you off the monkey bars in second grade, and how are you supposed to multiply with someone you don’t trust?

It’s tempting to think there’s an easy solution to the problem of other people. It’s tempting to imagine a world where we’re left alone, away from difficult people.

But life is difficult people. You can’t escape them. You do your best to get along with them and keep your focus on what’s important.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

Your job is to figure things out. That’s what humans do. That’s what humans are good at. We’re not so good at following directions–we tend to make errors or skip steps. We’re not so good at carrying out the same task over and over and over–there’s a reason machines replace us.

But humans are really good at creating meaning, making connections, figuring out patterns, and solving problems.

So when there’s a problem in front of you, have faith in your ability to figure it out. You’re not supposed to know how to do it. But you are supposed to figure it out.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck