letters to my class

Dear Humans,

Yesterday as I walked through the automatic sliding doors of my nearest retail mecca, I held a hope in my heart that I would find the thing that would fulfill me: the perfect acrylic organizer that would order my life or the pair of shoes that would really show the person I am.

Of course, I didn’t. It’s nice to be able to buy the things we want, but the things we need are not for sale. They’re inside one another.

I returned home to make gooey grilled cheese sandwiches and watch Harry Potter with my family. And although I probably didn’t notice it at the time, that was exactly what I was looking for.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

Some days it seems like all of our shots are going in. Other days it seems like they’re just barely rimming out. But we keep shooting. Because we’re in this for the long haul. No one shot, no one game, is the end all be all. We keep getting better and sometimes our shots go in and sometimes they don’t.

And the best shooters don’t spend much time thinking about those past shots except for how they will show up in the next shot they’re going to take. Because the next shot is the one that matters. The next shot is always the most important we’ve ever taken.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Learners,

When I was in seventh grade, I had to memorize and recite a super-long poem. I worked hard at it and delivered it perfectly. And today, I can’t remember even the title of that poem.

Also in seventh grade, I listened to a whole lot of Pearl Jam. And today, if you played any of their first three albums, I could probably sing along word for word.

The poem was in my brain, but it wasn’t in my heart. The songs, however, fit precisely into the puzzle of who I thought I wanted to be. That’s how real learning happens.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

The other day in the car I asked Gracie why it’s important to “be good” in school.

“To get DREAM tickets,” she said.

“But what do you really get out of doing well in school?” I replied.

“You get to learn!” she said excitedly.

Look for the things that last. Money, prizes, possessions, and praise will be squandered, lost or forgotten. But the knowledge and understanding you put in your head and your heart will last forever.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

You’re not the shoes on your feet or the haircut on your head. You’re not the house you live in or the car you drive. You’re not the jobs you’ll have, the money you’ll earn, or the stuff you’ll buy.

We’re each of us only the thoughts in our minds and the beliefs in our hearts. And the only way the outside world can peek in and see that true us is in how we treat other people.

Be kind,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

My favorite part of reading a book is that I get to be someone else for a while. I get to try on perspectives that are foreign to me. I get to see the world from a different point of view.

The most powerful reading experiences I’ve had were the times I read books about places and people I’d never thought about before. They showed me new worlds and new ways of being in these worlds. And, in the best books, those worlds became a part of my own.

Now, just reading books is not enough. But it’s a start. And it’s a powerful one. Reading is practice for living.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

This summer Gracie and I took a road trip to Wyoming. I brought a ton of music with us but I spent most of the time listening to only one album. I just played it on loop and got to know it really, really well.

In today’s world, where many things are freely available and abundant, it’s tempting to think you can know a little bit about everything. But you can’t. And I know I’m happier when I know one thing really well.

Skimming the surface of many things might teach us a little about the world, but knowing one thing well teaches us a lot about ourselves.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

We don’t teach you to read, write, and think just so you can find the right answers. Those don’t exist. We teach you to read, write, and think so you can figure out what’s important to you and so you can imagine the type of world you want to live in. Because the big discussions we have in our communities are about values.

What values are important to you and what’s the best way to communicate them? That’s what you’ll need in order to play the game that humans have been playing since we were carving rules into rocks.

And it’s not a spectator sport.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Nobody really knows what they’re doing. We’re all just making it up as we go along. But that’s okay. In fact, it’s probably better. Because if you ever find yourself knowing exactly what to do, you’re probably doing something unimportant.

The real accomplishments in life come from creating something new. And for that, there is no template. There are no blueprints. There is no plan.

So when you look at a blank piece of paper or a challenging math problem, don’t expect to know what to do right away. Just figure it out.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Readers,

Isn’t it a pleasure to get lost in a book? To get to know a character’s life from the inside? To step into a character’s skin and walk around in their world for a while? When we read fiction, we get to see the world through different perspectives. That sounds a lot like compassion training to me. And that’s exactly what reading fiction is: empathy exercise.

So not only does reading fiction entertain us, teach us new things about the world, and improve our vocabulary, it also makes us better people.

I think I found the prescription for most of the world’s problems.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck