A weekend in Lynchburg, Va
Dear MJTP families,
I am writing this from the Allegiant flight back to Sarasota after a weekend visiting my wife’s family in Lynchburg. Hoping to fire this off before we take off! It was my first time in the Lynchburg, and I came away genuinely moved by the place.
We spent a good amount of time walking downtown. My sister-in-law designed and curated a mural there that takes you from pre-colonial Lynchburg through to the present day. It is a remarkable piece of work, and a beautiful way to read a place through its layers.
The town itself has the same quality. Buildings emerge out of the rocky crags along the James River like they grew there. Modern architecture sits next to old hewn-stone buildings, and somehow none of it feels like a compromise. The new does not erase the old. The old does not refuse the new.
I kept thinking about that as we walked. We are in a moment, especially in education, where AI is changing things faster than most of us are comfortable with, and there is no shortage of questions about what it means for students, for learning, and for the work itself.
Lynchburg reminded me that we have been here before. Every generation faces a version of this question, and every generation finds a way to build something new without abandoning what made the old worth keeping. Human ingenuity and intellect have a way of returning to their purpose and their beauty. I am not worried.
On a lighter note, I got out fishing with my cousin-in-law one afternoon. We tied at nine each, a mix of bass, bream, and crappie. The cool evenings had me bundled up in layers I had forgotten I owned, and I will admit I was ready for Florida warmth by the end of the trip.
To the families in the thick of AP testing right now, hang in there. We are nearly through. Once APs wrap, we have one more focused push for the June SAT, and then summer.
One more thing before I sign off. My next post is an interview I’m excited about. It is with a college essay coach whose students have been accepted to a long list of top 20 schools. She has a lot to say about what you should be doing this summer.
Stay tuned.
Perfect timing. We’re taking off!
Mr. John
