MOS MAIORUM—PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Like other mos maiorums at Liberty Common School, Physical Education is regarded as a core discipline, and necessary for the satisfactory development of a scholar’s mind, and in this instance, body as well. The professional PE educators at LCS develop both skill and knowledge-related components of health and fitness through a rich and ordered course of study.  In the process, students learn to construct, and maintain the productive communities and habits necessary for a lifetime health and wellness.

Necessary for lifetime of health and wellness is, among other factors, the ability for one to comfortably and competently participate in any activity in a gym or athletic field. As such, the school prioritizes teaching the knowledge and skills associated with stretching, weight-lifting, agility, endurance, speed, and team-oriented sports.

The professional PE instructors emphasize the history of relevant sports, placing the activity within its appropriate historical era. They also regularly collaborate with other core teachers to identify cross-curricular connections from the Core Knowledge Curriculum, especially in science and history. Physical and written exams and quizzes assess students’ comprehension and skills mastery.

Early-elementary scholars are introduced to the culturally relevant sports of baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, and others. These younger scholars learn about each sport’s equipment, and how to safely manipulate their bodies within a given sporting activity. The background-knowledge foundation and introductory skill-practice prime students for success in future physical-education studies. 4th-8th-grade scholars participate in the Presidential Fitness Program as one example of building upon this foundation. High-school students are offered higher-level courses with intentionally stronger cross-curricular connections to science and history.

Physical education, like art and music, is not a throw-away subject. Liberty Common’s founders and administration have made it clear that building strong bodies for students is a fundamental component of a classical education. Funding and time is made available for PE to ensure the same high-class education found anywhere else in the building. In the words of one founder, “If it was good enough for the Greeks to train regularly, it’s good enough for us.”