Show overview
HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive has been publishing since 2015, and across the 11 years since has built a catalogue of 317 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 220 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 6th season.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 34 min and 50 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed earlier today, with 30 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 40 episodes published. Published by The Heights School.
From the publisher
Welcome to HeightsCast, the podcast of The Heights School. With over 200 episodes, HeightsCast discusses the education of young men fully alive in the liberal arts tradition. The program engages teachers and thought-leaders in the educational/cultural space to support our community of listeners: parents, teachers, and school leaders seeking to educate the young men in their care. Instead of downloads, HeightsCast's most important metric for success is the unknown number of thoughtful discussions it prompts in homes, faculty lunchrooms, and communities around the country and the world. Thank you for listening; thank you for continuing the conversation.
Latest Episodes
View all 317 episodesKyle Blackmer on Heights Clans and the Need for Festival
Alvaro de Vicente on the Scope of Mentoring
David Maxham on Struggling in Math: Where Digital Tools Can Assist in Academic Virtue
Dr. Jonathan Buttaci on the Art and Act of Knowing—and What That Means for Teaching
Dr. Paul Shrimpton on Newman and his Idea of a School
Alvaro de Vicente on Boy-Girl Socializing: Fostering Healthy Peer Groups
Austin Hatch and Tom Steenson on True Convivium: Friendship with Fellow Teachers
Michael Moynihan on Reducing Anxiety through the Meaning of Work
Eric Heil on an Introduction to Natural History: Beauty, Science, and Philosophy for Boys
Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti on Theology and Masculinity: Men's Creation and Calling
Mark Grannis on Knowing How to Know: Law School and Other Professional Discernments
Alvaro de Vicente on Crafting and Sharing a School Vision
Dr. Matthew Mehan on Compiling an American Book of Fables
Mark Ryland on Pragmatic Hope: Understanding AI and the New Economy
Andrew Cantarutti on The Walled Garden: Critical Considerations for Classroom AI
Clare Morell on A Humane Way of Life: The Research Behind Home Tech Decisions
Robert Greving on an Apostolate of Courtesy: Social Graces and Civilization
Dr. Matthew Spalding on Teaching the American Founding after 250 Years
Colin Gleason on "Tell me the truth!" Leading Boys to Integrity
Why tell the truth when it doesn't always pay? It's important to let boys encounter this question through example, literature, and enough freedom to wrestle with his own conscience. In this rebroadcast of a 2017 talk, Head of Lower School Colin Gleason admits that you can't "teach" integrity with drills and facts. But you can create an environment that encourages it to develop. We have to push past consequentialism and avoid the adult instinct to root out the facts at any cost. Because the truth is a good and natural thing; the boy needs only to embrace it. Chapters: 3:12 Dishonesty: from toddlers to adults 5:51 Examples of integrity 10:04 Defining integrity, and whether we can teach it 13:36 Getting past "consequence" ethics 22:14 Homes and schools where integrity can take root 24:47 Trust: the power of relationship 33:47 Freedom: their own initiative 38:37 Friendship: ready to guide and help 45:03 Dishonesty from fear, honesty from confidence Links: Jeremy Affeldt repaid the Giants $500,000 after clerical error, CBS Sports, May 15, 2013 "Sportsman" Roddick falls in Rome, The Seattle Times, May 6, 2005 Also on the Forum: The Truth Shall Set You Free by Alvaro de Vicente Lying to Dumbledore: On Moral Consequentialism in Children's Literature featuring Joe Breslin and Tom Cox Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026)
Dave Maxham on Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts
Could creativity and intellectual freedom actually depend on the rote? Following up on his recent article for the Forum, math teacher Dave Maxham dives into why fundamentals and drills are integral to creativity—not hindrances. Between the "drill and kill" and the "free inquiry" camps lies the golden mean: an understanding that mastery and even delight in the basics allows for real, nimble handling of creative problems. Chapters: 3:19 Defining automaticity, creativity 7:09 The automatic enables the creative 15:14 Returning to basics, overcoming boredom 19:14 Struggle and humility bear fruit 24:05 Mastery and the intrinsic payoff 27:24 Model delight in your subject 35:13 With low standards, high expectations 42:25 The goals of homework 47:58 Cover less material, emphasize process 55:45 Letting them work it out Links: Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton (see chapter 4, "The Ethics of Elfland") Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanation and Explicit Teaching by Zach Groshnell The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning—And How to Help Them Thrive Again by Jared Cooney Horvath Also on the Forum: Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti Mathematics: The Lost Liberal Art featuring Dave Maxham The Math Problem: Tackling the "I'm Terrible at Math" Mentality featuring Dave Maxham Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) – link coming soon The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026)