Dear TCA Parents,
It has been a delight to work with students in the classroom again. My 11th-grade class and I are working through a text on the life of J.R.R. Tolkien by Humphrey Carter. It gives great insight into Tolkien’s life as a husband and father, a friend (He and C.S. Lewis were good friends), and a professor and author. If you are fascinated by Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or the Silmarillion, I think you would enjoy this work on his life. I highly recommend it.
Carline
I am sure you have noticed that carline is running smoothly. Thank you for your contribution to our success. It really is a team effort. We are working on some small changes that will be rolled out in October. We expect the walls of the gym to be up by mid-October and that will challenge our line of sight. In order to keep the carline running in a timely manner we may need to adjust slightly. We will communicate more on that in the next couple of weeks.
One other note. Generally we have a good relationship with our neighbors. However, from time to time, we do receive feedback from them. We want to be respectful of their neighborhoods and their homes. We have heard that there is a good deal of traffic from the school in those neighborhoods. We have heard about unsafe driving and blocked driveways. To maintain a good relationship with our neighbors, I ask that you refrain from using their driveways for picking up your students or as a cut-through. If you do need to travel through, please be respectful of our neighbors’ property.
Construction
Another impossible-not-to-notice situation on campus is that construction is going very well. Last week, they finished installing artificial turf, the swings, and the monkey bars. The area is fenced in, and classes will be allowed to use it starting this week. The fencing is intended to keep students out of the roadway. Teachers are expected to keep vigilant when watching students using this play area. We are excited for the return of the swings!
The concrete floor for the gym and the storm-rated gym has been laid. We are one step closer to the walls. They are working diligently to complete the foundation. It is exciting to see the building coming together.
Podcast
For some time, we have discussed starting a TCA podcast. We are one step closer. Mr. Quiceno is an able editor of audio and video content and he has recently ordered some of the equipment we will need to produce a quality podcast that will introduce teachers, students, and families, discuss policies as well as Classical Education. Stay tuned! We are thrilled.
Tolkien, Lewis, and Friendliness
The friendship between Tolkien and Lewis was deeply rooted in their love of literature, language, and faith. We say of the virtue of friendliness, “I will always be of goodwill and seek the companionship of those who desire my edification.” The virtue of friendliness is about more than occupying the same space with one another. In order for a relationship to rise to the virtue of friendliness, it requires a true desire on the part of each person for the virtue of the other; a desire for them to accomplish the good they were made for and a willingness to help them achieve it. Lewis and Tolkien had a beautiful friendship. Tolkien began writing the Hobbit for his children. He did not initially think of it as something that he would publish. However, he shared it with his dear friend Lewis, who, after reading Tolkien’s work “Beren and Lúthien,” said, “I can quite honestly say that it is ages since I have had an evening of such delight: and the personal interest of reading a friend’s work had very little to do with it – I should have enjoyed it just as well if I’d picked it up in a bookshop, by an unknown author.” When Lewis read the Hobbit he gave Tolkien the kind of feedback that led Tolkien to write in his diary: “The unpayable debt that I owe to him was not influence as it is ordinarily understood, but sheer encouragement. He was for long my only audience. Only from him did I ever get the idea that my stuff could be more than a private hobby.”
As TCA continues to grow, my hope is that the type of friendship that existed between Tolkien and Lewis becomes the model for our unity with each other. I hope that the virtue of friendliness will be the fertile soil within which administrators, teachers, students, and families continue to cultivate all of our relationships.
Thank you for your continued support in training minds and improving hearts in and through an American Classical Education!
Pax et Bonum
Mr. Garcia