In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the soothsayer ominously warns him to “Beware the Ides of March”. Caesar had just claimed victory to become Dictator Perpetuo of Rome and was greeting his citizens on the ancient Roman holiday, Lupercalia. From the crowd, the soothsayer called out his dire prophecy and Caesar dismissed it. Only a month later, Caesar was indeed assassinated on March 15 (the ides of March) in 44 BC. Now, “beware the Ides of March” has become almost a pop-culture aphorism, hinting at the challenges that March can bring.
And, indeed, it does. March is a month of contrasts both in school and out of it. Students are wrapping up winter projects, while at the same time starting their final spring projects before graduation. Teachers look at the academic calendar and see the rapid shortening of instructional time, even as the daylight hours feel longer and longer. Administrators and Board members are caught between closing out this year, while making very specific plans for the next school year. Parents are torn, navigating the final months of the school calendar while thinking through the family’s upcoming summer calendar. Nature itself feels the burden of March – cheery daffodils lining school walkways spring up, only to be bent over, drenched by rain and buffeted by wind.
March can be a challenging month for everyone. The beauty of a classical, Christian education, however, is that we walk through this month together. We spur on one another, to keep going, to keep working, to keep pushing forward. We greet one another under wind-whipped umbrellas, and then stand side by side as the sun starts to dry up the puddles on the blacktop.
So, don’t beware the Ides of March. Embrace it. This is the month when we get to dig deeper and love one another better. This is the month when we encourage our students to keep running the race well. This is the month when we find our stride again, even if we may have faltered during the bleak winter.
The Ides of March proved to be the end of Caesar. But, for us, it is the chance to embrace the contrasts of this time of year. March is our opportunity to move ever forward, united in our passion to educate our children through Classical, Christian education.
Holly Kalton
Head of School, Libertas Academy
