letters to my class

Dear Debaters,

As readers, you have a lot of evidence to weigh. You collect that evidence, put it together, figure out what’s most important and grow theories about the characters and story. Another reader might disagree with you, but that’s okay. What’s important is that your ideas are grounded in the text and defensible.

Today we’ll have some debates about Tiger Rising. You will come up with questions to debate, take a stance, and find evidence to support it. It’s an important skill you’ll use throughout your life.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Thinkers,

The things I like now are things that I used to know nothing about. Some of these things were things I never thought I could’ve liked. When you don’t know about a topic, it’s easy to believe it’s not worth knowing.

But if you keep an open mind, you’ll find that there’s value in everything, and you just might find a new favorite things in the world, and a new way to make meaning in the world.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Measurerers,

Measurement is where the ideal world of math comes into contact with the real, physical world. And in the real physical world we can never be perfectly exact. Everything is an approximation–close, an estimate, good enough. 

Of course we strive to be as precise as we can, but like every other human endeavor, measurement is about finding a shared meaning that we can agree on. And when we do that, we can build things together.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Livers,

You’re experts on living. You’ve seen thousands of days. You’ve been around language, people, and culture throughout your lives. And now you’re trying to figure out what it all means.

And doing that is all up to you. You can ask people for help. You can look to other people for examples. You can learn about how other people have done it in school. But putting your experiences together in a way that makes sense to you is the essence of living.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve ever had in the classroom. You guys were rock stars! You supported each other, you listened to each other, you took risks. It was a beautiful thing to see. And it makes me feel confident that this will be a great year for each of us.

Keep up the good work. Having a great day is easy. Putting two great days together is much more difficult.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Questioners,

Ask the questions that don’t have answers. That will upset some people, but it will lead you on the path to true knowledge.

By asking unanswerable questions, you’ll have the lifelong job of trying to answer them, and you’ll end up with a lifetime full of knowledge (and even more questions than when you started).

We’ll practice asking unanswerable questions today.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Historians,

I hate when people think I don’t know about things that happened before I was born. Just because I didn’t see it happen on CNN doesn’t mean I haven’t read about it.

Yesterday, we talked and read about an event that happened 15 years ago–long before any of you were born. Just because you didn’t live it doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible for knowing about it.

The past lives on and all of us must know it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Students,

The classroom is a special place. It’s a place that’s separate from the “real world.” It’s a place where we can forget about the problems in our life, so we can explore ideas that help us better face those problems. It’s a place where we can decide what kind of person we want to be and work hard to make it happen.

It’s a place where we support each other because we know we’re a team and we’re a lot stronger together.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck