letters to my class

Dear Learners,

I had a great day of learning yesterday! Learning about beaver ponds and Molly Brown and the stories of how so many people came to Colorado and became rich in Colorado and then went bust in Colorado lit a fire for me.

And it made me want to explore. What I read in a book about Molly Brown convinced me that I have to soon go to her house in Capitol Hill. And watching that video of the beaver pond convinced me that I have to get myself to a State Park and see one for myself.

History is not just in the books. It surrounds us. It’s everywhere. We just have to look, listen, and imagine where it all came from.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

There are big problems in the world, and it’s easy to feel discouraged in the face of them. But it’s best to focus on the small things we can do each day to make the world better.

The flu is pretty bad this year and there are only a few things we can do to fight it: get a flu shot and wash our hands. Washing our hands might not seem like a big deal, but it can have a big impact. And like most things worth doing, it won’t only protect us; it might help stop the spread of the flu bug to others around us.

Don’t focus on the big problem. Focus on the little things you can do to help fix it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Classmates,

We can do more together than we can individually. That’s especially true for learning. When you learn something really, really important, you remember the story of how you learned it. And where you learned it. And most importantly, who taught it to you.

The classroom is a special place to build strong relationships that let us teach each other life-changing ideas. Ideas that make us better people–people who will make the world a better place for everyone.

Think about what you have to teach to your classmates today. And what they have to teach you.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

You’re supposed to make your bed. You’re supposed to eat your vegetables. You’re supposed to do your reading and fill out your reading log each night. There are a lot of things we’re supposed to do. And most of those “supposed tos” are good for us.

But there are other “supposed tos” that we hear from society that aren’t so good for us. We’re supposed to care a lot about our physical appearance. We’re supposed to make as much money as possible. We’re supposed to do this job or love this person because of who we are or where we’re from.

If you do the supposed tos that you should, it’s easier to stand up against the supposed tos that you shouldn’t.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Citizens,

On Saturday I dropped off your notes and letters at the Adams County Sheriff’s Station. They were very appreciative. Thank you for taking the time to write them.

Police officers have a very tough job: they serve us by dealing with the bad and dangerous parts of our world, so, hopefully, we don’t have to. They know the great risk they take everyday they go do their important work. I hope your words make it a little bit easier to take that risk.

Words are powerful things. Even the smallest words, words we might not even think too much about, can mean a lot to somebody going through a struggle. Be kinds with your words today.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Artists,

Today we’re going to look closely at a piece of art. I don’t think there’s any better way to understand the history and culture of a time and place than through art work. Even though artists often create something from their imagination rather than something that actually exists in real life, they often tell the bigger truth about a time and place. As Pablo Picasso said, “Art is a lie that tells the truth.”

One thing we will see in this piece of art is the exchange of cultures. Cultures borrow ideas from one another every time they interact. And those ideas usually show up in art, food, fashion, and music.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Readers,

Finding an author you love is a special thing. You’ll follow them for the rest of your (or their life), eagerly awaiting each new book they write and reading it over and over and over. And maybe someday you’ll see them read one of their books in person at the Tattered Cover.

You’ll feel like you’re in a lifelong conversation with them, and you’ll often find them putting ideas you’ve had into words you never though to use.

My hope for each of you is that you find a favorite author and read every word they’ve ever written. It’s what readers do.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Researchers,

Yesterday we learned about evaluating the credibility of the sources we read. I can’t think of a more important thing I will teach you all year.

There are all sorts of people out their vying for your attention. Some of them want to convince you to believe crazy things. And these people have YouTube channels, twitter feeds, blogs, and newspapers!

You have to be able to decide if these sources are credible or not. You have to learn how to test their claims by comparing them with other sources. You have to figure out for yourself what you’re going to believe.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Learners,

This weekend I was reading Michael Jackson’s Wikipedia page for some reason and that led me to the page for the Jackson 5 and that led me to the beginnings of Rhythm and Blues music and that led me all the way back to the beginning of recorded music. And I realized how all of it is connected. And that if you look closely enough at Michael Jackson’s dance moves, you see the beginnings of popular music more than one hundred years before.

If you take any one thing, no matter how small, and look at it closely enough, it will take you all the way back to the beginning of time. Everything in the universe is connected by a story. Your job as learners, historians, and humans is to learn as many of those stories as you can.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Problem Solvers,

Intelligence and talent are overrated. Those are about things you already know or can already do. And if you only ever rely on that, then you won’t ever learn anything new.

You know what is underrated? Showing up and being actively engaged. Paying attention and being in the moment. Giving your all to whatever and whoever is in front of you.

Because most of the problems you’ll face won’t have solutions that come from old thinking. They won’t have solutions that already exist. Intelligence might help you fill out a worksheet, but engagement and thinking will help you solve the real problems of being a human in the world.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck