letters to my class

Dear Puzzlers,

Over this cold, snowy weekend, I did a lot of puzzles: jigsaw puzzles, logic puzzles, crossword puzzles, math puzzles. Puzzles are about getting into another person’s mind, seeing the world through a different set of eyes, and being thrilled at how recognizable, but different, everything is.

At school we’re in the mind business. As readers we enter other worlds and possibilities by getting into other minds. As writers we create portals so others can enter our minds. In math we read the mind of the universe and share our findings with other minds.

That sounds like a lot, but it’s all available to you if you teach yourself to use your mind well.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Listeners,

Today we’ll listen to the symphony. When you hear a symphony, you’re listening to a certain structure. What makes a symphony memorable is when it does something revolutionary within that structure. The greats–like Beethoven–left such a mark on the structure that it made people ask questions about what it means to be human.

Life is more engaging when you know how to look at it, listen to it, read it. Today we’ll learn how to listen to a symphony. That way it will be more than a collection of sounds. It will be a story.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Strivers,

Basquiat wasn’t born a great artist. He made himself into one by constantly making art. He wasn’t an artist because of the things he said or the clothes he wore or the people he hung out with; he was an artist because he was obsessed with creating art. He was an artist because he spent thousands of hours in his studio (and on the streets) making art.

Don’t decide you’re going to be a writer or an artists or a musician or a singer. Just do the thing.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Summarizers,

There’s a saying that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. I think this is true because some parts we emphasize more than others. Not all parts of a story are equally important. Your job as readers is to decide what’s really important and what’s not. A map can’t include all parts of the territory. We have to choose landmarks. Same when you read–a text or the world.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Writers,

Writers are people who have something to say and have found a way to say it. When you write, don’t write for your teacher. Write for yourself and write for the whole world. Write in such a way that you know the world needs to hear it. The world probably doesn’t need another book about tigers, but it needs the book you’re writing about tigers. Be your own sharpest critic and be your own audience. 

If you do these things, the grade will take care of itself.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Adapters,

It was -8 degrees Fahrenheit when I left my house this morning. Why would we live in such a place? How do we live in such a place?

We’ve talked a lot about animal adaptations: the fur of a polar bear, the stripes of a tiger, the long necks of giraffes. Humans also have natural adaptations, but what allows us to live in subzero temperatures are cultural adaptations: the houses we build, the clothes we wear, the way that we see the world.

Think about the technologies and cultural adaptations that allow you to not only survive in your environment, but thrive.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Innovators,

Yesterday we learned that sound is nothing but waves in the air that move little bones in our ears. Out of that, humans have created majestic symphonies. We learned that some rocks buried millions of years ago hold concentrated energy from the sun. With those, humans created steam trains, electrified the world, and put a man on the moon.

And what’s next? What will you create with your knowledge of the world that makes things better for humankind?

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Learners,

I believe that every one of you can do every thing that we learn in school. You’re all capable and you’re all good enough. Believe in yourself and know that you can do it. That’s the first step and often the most difficult step, but without that belief in yourself, you won’t accomplish anything.

You’re good enough and you deserve it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Pattern Detectors,

Humans are really good at discovering patterns. It’s how our minds make sense of the world. Not only do we see patterns in nature (many of which don’t really exist) but we also like to think up patterns of our own. Those patterns, even though they don’t come directly out of the world, can tell us a whole lot about it.

Today we’ll begin exploring one of my favorite patterned creations. And we’ll practice the mindset that all great mathematicians have: look for patterns everywhere.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Figure-er Out-ers,

When you were in preschool you just “knew” that 5 came after six. You just knew that the color of  that car was green. You just “knew” that the name of that shape was an oval.

But then something changes. Now you can’t just look at 1/4 plus 2/3 and “know” what the answer is. You have to figure it out. You have to stop, maybe draw a picture, maybe think about the fractions in different ways, and find the answer.

Too often we think that math is about “knowing” things. But it’s really about figuring them out. And you can all do that.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck