Rev. James Maury

As a career educator I spend my days trying to find a way to inspire students but we don’t often take the time to recognize those that inspire us to educate at the highest levels. While there are a ton of figures, both globally and within the United States, that have inspired me I felt Reverend James Maury personifies many of my goals.

While Rev. Maury is notable in history for a number of different instances, one of his most enduring legacies came from his time as the leader of a boys school in Albemarle County, Virginia. Like all educators he only had a finite amount of time to make an impact on those in his school, but his legacy became one of the more enduring in our countries history. After Peter Jefferson died in 1757, his son Thomas was sent to live with the Maury family due to the fact that he had to have a male caretaker. During

his time with the Maury family he attended the boys school that Rev. Maury ran, and would remain there until he matriculated to the College of William and Mary. By all accounts he thoroughly enjoyed his time at the school and often praised the classical education he received there by comparing it to previous schools that he felt weren’t as well developed (at least with regards to classical education). There are many instances in Jefferson’s writings where Maury was referred to as a “correct classical scholar.”

In the short time he had to mold Thomas Jefferson, Rev Maury seemed to make a dramatic impact on a man that would become the a key figure in the coming creation of our country. It is this type of impact that all teachers dream of having on the students in our classes, so it seemed appropriate to honor the legacy of Rev. Maury while I push for more impact to help further educate the next generation of leaders. My plan to do so is to provide educational help to others in our quest to combine the best of the classical education that served our ancestors so well with the new concepts in education that have proven effective for this generation. Nothing would make me happier than to have a small fraction of the impact that Rev. Maury had on students in his lifetime.

More information on Jefferson’s education can be found here.