Common Curiosity

Liberty Common students have started the year off well.  They have made observations and formed hypotheses in science, they have already started studying famous historical figures and events in history, and they have begun reading some of the great books they will encounter in the school's content-rich curriculum this year.

It is not only Liberty Common students who continue to grow and learn, however.  Liberty Common teachers are an inquisitive bunch who pursue knowledge in their free time, going beyond what they are typically required to do as teachers.  This pursuit of knowledge is often true on college campuses, but the depth of curiosity and love for the content displayed by Liberty Common faculty is another aspect of what distinguishes our k–12 school.

This summer, a group of Liberty Common faculty from all four campuses gathered to read a book called Galahad and the Grail by Malcolm Guite.  Though the book was released recently and can hardly be considered a classic (yet), the story touched on many of the topics so dear to our school:  Cooperation, perseverance, respect, responsibility, prudence, temperance, fortitude, and wisdom, to name a few.  Not only did the content of the story align with our classically oriented school, but the form as well.  This book is the first of four volumes retelling the King Arthur myths, also known as the matter of Britain, in the form of an epic poem.  How wonderful it is to see an author writing in this classic form, carrying on a great tradition, and walking in the footsteps of authors like Homer, Virgil, Spenser, and Milton.  Malcom Guite is steeped in the classics of the Western tradition, and the poetry in this story overflows with allusions to Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Coleridge, and the Christian Bible.  More than anything, this story is a wonderful reflection on what is good, true, and beautiful.

Since the days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, these three transcendentals have guided the very best of human accomplishment.  From the works of art created by Jacques Louis David to the writings of Shakespeare, these qualities are present throughout.  Liberty Common faculty spend their free time pursuing these qualities as well.  This year, another group of faculty will be reading The Brother’s Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, continuing their quest for goodness, truth, and beauty.  Others will be reading Arithmetic for Parents by Ron Aharoni and Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife, where they will encounter goodness, truth, and beauty in mathematics.

Through their pursuit of the very best, Liberty Common faculty fill their cups to overflowing, so they can pass these same things on to Liberty Common students.  What a joy it is to work with a group of people—faculty and students alikededicated to these things.