letters to my class

Dear Learners,

Knowledge is all around you. In the back of our classroom, the whole world resides inside the pages of those books. In the chrome books at the front of the room, the world world is accessible to you. We live in a world of abundance. 

But just having access to knowledge is not enough. You have to take that knowledge and make it a part of your life. You have to use the knowledge to make connections across time and space and to make meaning about the world. If the knowledge is not a part of you, then it’s not much use.

That’s hard work. And that’s life-changing work.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Citizens,

This is your regularly-scheduled reminder that your neighbors and fellow citizens pay a lot of tax money to make sure you get a quality education. They don’t do this because they like you personally or because they want you to find a good job. They do it because they want the future to be created by well-educated citizens.

They expect you to make good decisions for their children and their grandchildren. They expect you to discover cures and inventions that will benefit humanity.

So remember that as you’re learning today. It’s not just for your own benefit. It’s for the benefit of all of us.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Your test score doesn’t have anything you to say about what kind of person you are. The effort you put into it and your attitude about it do, but the score itself is just a number.

You show what kind of person you are by how you treat people who have less than you–less money, less power, and less opportunity. That cannot be captured by filling in bubbles and writing essays.

But believe in yourself. Everyone of you is capable of greatness. I’ve seen what kind of people you are because I’ve seen each of you succeed on the tests that really matter.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Performers,

A test is like a puzzle. Another human designed it and you have to figure out their thought process. You have to try to read their mind. And like a puzzle, that other person is trying to trick you. Don’t let them.

Also like a puzzle, persistence and effort is key. You won’t now every answer on the test.  But you do have the tools to figure each one out. You do have the tools to write persuasive and complete responses. Knowledge is overrated. What really matters is your ability to figure things out.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Attention-givers,

The world is such a big place. There is more than you can ever pay attention to–more books than you could ever read, more games than you could ever play, and more friends than you could ever meet. It all feels so overwhelming.

But where you put your attention is entirely up to. It’s almost like a superpower. Because there’s no way we can pay attention to everything, it’s important that we really think about where we put our attention. And when you give something your attention, give it all of your attention.

When you’re solving a math problem, focus on that and only that. When you’re reading a book, lose yourself in that book. When you’re unloading your dishwasher at home, pretend it’s the only thing that matters in the world. This simple fix won’t solve everything, but it will make life feel more manageable and meaningful.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Learners,

I read a lot of social science and pop psychology books, and all of these books say the same thing: talent does not matter as much as effort and ability does not matter as much as practice.

You are all good enough, smart enough, and capable enough. What separates highly successful people is the effort and focus they bring. If you come to school everyday focused on learning all that you can learn, you will. If you focus on improving and being the best you can be, you will be better than you ever thought possible.

You can’t control where you were born, who you were born to, or how you were born, but you can control the stuff that really matters.

Sincerely, 

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Historians,

I had a great trip to Santa Fe over Spring Break. While driving there, I had my wife read me the Wikipedia page of every little town and landmark we drove past–volcanic plugs, wagon mounds, and a really weird looking gym in Trinidad. There is so much to learn all around us. Everything has a history if we take the time to learn it.

The route to Santa Fe still follows the old Santa Fe trail route that has been used for hundreds of years. I felt like an oxen-pulled pioneer, a cattle-driving cowboy, or a howitzer-dragging soldier. And even though I was only a minivan driving dad, I felt like I was part of history. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Fans,

Yesterday was opening day in baseball. It’s my favorite day, and it’s my favorite time of year. Arms are fresh, uniforms are crisp, and every team has the hope that can only exist in April.

Being a fan is serious business. It’s not just about rooting for a team and it’s not just about wearing a jersey. Being a fan is about learning to speak the language of the sport. 

And it takes a lot of time and effort to become fluent in the language of something. You have to read about it, talk to others about it, follow it. You have to pour over the box scores every morning and know exactly who is just barely on the roster and who is about to be. You have to dedicate a big part of your life to thinking about the game.

Whatever your obsession is, I hope you have the tools and work ethic to become fluent in the language of the thing.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Coloradoans,

Welcome to spring in Colorado.

Our word of the day yesterday was dynamics. When we write, sing, or perform we speed up and slow down, get louder and get softer, keep our audience awake and engaged, and, in general, get our point across with our own unique sense of style and grace.

Colorado definitely has its own sense of style.

It will warm up this weekend and you should have a nice and balmy spring break, but my hope for you is that you use the gift of time to do something that’s really important to you: play games with your family, play outside with your friends, voraciously read books, and write about something that’s really important to you.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Number Mavens,

This year we’ve learned lots of ways to multiply whole numbers–partial-products, double and halve, over and under, lattice, or ratio tables. And there are many other methods that we haven’t talked about–Egyptian, Russian Peasant, Japanese. There’s really only one way to multiply, but these methods show us different ways to count up the pieces.

While I really want you to quickly and accurately find the correct answer, life (and math) is about more than right answers. It’s about understanding. We learn a variety of ways to multiply because we’re learning how multiplication (and numbers themselves) work. 

Memorizing a process for multiplication won’t help you understand higher math or how to apply math to the real world. Knowing how multiplication works will.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck