HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

This week's episode features Chris McKenna, founder and CEO of Protect Young Eyes (ProtectYoungEyes.com), who discusses the challenges and opportunities of raising sons in a digital age. Our guest has been on the frontlines of the current battle to protect children from digital exploitation, both criminal and corporate. As we form sons into men of freedom, it is grossly negligent to lack awareness and plan in this domain. Chris provides both. Listen in to hear more about how parents can flip a challenge into an adventure by accompanying their sons through a digital world where pornography and distraction saturate the landscape. As always, the obstacle becomes the way, and by keeping our sights set on the good while fearlessly walking with our sons, we can rely on grace to help our boys grow into men with hearts capable of profound and lasting love.

For many people today, avoiding existential despair is like shoveling water from a damaged ship: the effort, no matter how valiant, is ultimately futile. Stuck in an immanent frame, a frame which lacks any real transcendence, one is left without a substantial source for hope. The above remains true, though in different ways, even for believing and practicing Christians. As children of our current culture, that culture shapes even our faith. This week on HeightsCast, we welcome back Dr. R. J. Snell, the Director of Academic Programs at the Witherspoon Institute and the editor-in-chief of Public Discourse. In the episode, Dr. Snell discusses his recently published book, Lost in the Chaos, in which he offers an examination of the theological virtue of hope and an application of that virtue to our current times. More than an optimistic personality trait, more than a virtue that looks forward to a time in which all shall be made right, and more than a nostalgia that pines for a past in which all is thought to have been right, R. J. encourages us to see hope as a supernatural gift whereby we trust now in the agency of God even while evil perdures around us. Chapters 2:55 What is hope? 7:30 The "in the end" attitude 11:00 Job and hope in the darkness 14:00 The metaphysics of despair 18:55 Safety-ism 21:55 Despair as the desire to disappear 24:30 How immanence affects even the believer 26:46 Temptations of believers and non-believers 31:40 The twin dangers of utopianism and fundamentalism 36:35 The small teams and the little flocks 42:20 The importance of loving people as they are 44:15 Re-evaluating our approach to reason and our capacity to see reality 50:50 Expanding reason 54:35 Feelings as hooks into reality 1:01:00 Towards a more human way of seeing 1:02:00 Take-aways 1:05:05 A parting blessing Also on the Forum Work and Acedia: On Our Original Vocation with R. J. Snell Leisure and Acedia: On Contemplative Homes in a Frenetic Age with R. J. Snell

This week we feature a lecture offered by Head of Upper School, Michael Moynihan, at the most recent Teaching Vocation Conference. In his presentation, Michael encourages us as teachers to engage our students as free and rational agents, even when they don't want to be engaged as such. Michael offers us some helpful insights into the principles that should guide our teaching, as we lead our students to becoming seekers of truth, rather than consumers of information produced by others.

Many of us assume that college will inevitably follow on high school's heels, but why? Why go to college, and, once there, how do we make the most of the "college experience?" University of Dallas' President, Dr. Jonathan Sanford, shares his thoughts on these questions and offers guidance as to how this experience should be different at a Catholic liberal arts university. Our approach to friendship, study, and reality is shaped by our university years. But so too are our university years shaped by our expectations heading into it. Higher ed is a place where most of us can find whatever it is we are looking for. Dr. Sanford's conversation calibrates our students to make sure they are looking for the right things.

Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente discusses the importance of "imperfect parenting.' Ours is an age of external perfection, but when our son's fail to achieve the standards we set for them, our own anxiety can be the chief obstacle to our boys' thriving. Emotional presence in an imperfect parent facilitates a child's thriving by subsuming him into that of his mother and father. Hear our headmaster explain the importance of "quantity time," and the internal emotional disposition that can make this time a win, even if imperfectly.

While most professions work on an object which is ultimately transient—a doctor, for example, works to heal the body which will ultimately die, an engineer to design a bridge which will deteriorate over time, an entrepreneur to start a business that will likely persist at most a handful of generations—the object of a teacher's work is a human person, whose ultimate destiny is eternity. His work reverberates not only in this life, but echoes into the life to come. In this way, the work of a teacher is a natural extension of the work of parents, who cooperate with the Creator in not only welcoming souls into their own homes, but in stewarding them back to their heavenly Father's eternal homeland. Indeed, the work of a teacher is essentially an extension of the work of parents, who are the first and primary educators of their children. To explore the ways the vocation of fatherhood harmonizes with the vocation of teaching, this week on HeightsCast we share a lecture given by Tom Steenson at our recent Teaching Vocation Conference. In his talk, Tom discusses the ways that being a teacher helps one to be a better father, as well as the ways being a father helps one become a better teacher.

Dr. Scott Crider of the University of Dallas introduces us to Rhetoric, an art of persuasion that allows our future leaders to lead souls (and themselves) to the good. Dr. Crider discusses the nature of rhetoric, its place in the tradition of liberal learning, its role in a technologically advanced society (and classroom), and how it can be practiced by our students, not only later in life but now, in the context of the academic essay.

In a HeightsCast episode released in September, headmaster Alvaro de Vicente offered guidance for parents on how to understand, interpret, and respond to their sons' grades while also nurturing strong and lasting bonds. This week we welcome Tom Steenson to HeightsCast to discuss grading from the teacher's perspective. Tom offers practical advice to teachers, framing grades as a means to helping students learn, whether they are relatively strong in a subject or struggling through a class. Approaching grading more as an art than a strict science, Mr. Steenson encourages teachers to be realistic without crushing a student and to challenge students to think beyond the grade, helping them find a real joy in learning. Chapters 2:10 Introduction: Grading from a teacher's perspective 3:00 How to think about grades 5:05 Dealing with a strong student 7:45 Should you grade different students differently? 10:53 The grade-monger: Kids who are hyper focused on the grade 14:20 Online gradebooks? 16:20 Practical advice for students struggling with grades 20:00 Grading fairly without crushing the student 21:45 Advice for the art of grading 28:10 Closing thoughts Mentioned in the episode Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

The book of Genesis tells us that God made man ut operaretur—that he may work. Far from a punishment for the Fall, work is an essential part of man's original vocation. Indeed, it is precisely as a craftsman—a tektōn, in the Greek—who does his work well (cf. Mark 6:3) that Jesus was identified in the Gospels. Education, therefore, even a liberal arts education, ought to take into account this important aspect of man's nature. This week on HeightsCast, we welcome John Paul Lechner and Dr. Joseph Haggarty to discuss how a craftsmanship class can fit into the education students receive at a liberal arts school. Both teachers at Sparhawk Academy in Millis, Massachusetts, Lechner and Haggarty explain how students at Sparhawk engage reality through their unique craftsmanship curriculum. They give examples of the ways even their younger students learn to craft meaningful works for their families and community while gaining skills that will serve them for life. Mr. Lechner and Dr. Haggarty help us see the ways craftsmanship class contributes to the formation of these boys so full of energy and budding strength. Chapters 2:25 Introduction 3:10 Origin of Sparhawk's craftsmanship courses 6:15 Craftsmanship in the younger years 7:19 Craftsmanship and the liberal arts 12:30 A brief history of craftsmanship 15:10 The dignity of working with one's hands 16:20 Examples of projects 23:20 Learning to use energy and strength well 26:35 Getting started with craftsmanship Recommended Reading Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford

"I'm a big believer in boredom…. All the [technology] stuff is wonderful, but having nothing to do can be wonderful, too." Thought-provoking words from the man whose company produces one of the most powerful tools for distracting ourselves from any feelings of boredom. Not only Steve Jobs, but seventeenth-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal, too, understood the dangers of perpetual entertainment, the inability to sit alone in a room by oneself. Given the current cultural moment, a particular arena in which children—and, indeed, parents too—need to grow in self-mastery is that of screens and technology. This week on HeightsCast, we feature a talk given by Colin Gleason, head of lower school. First given at last Saturday's Parenting Conference, this talk addresses how parents can foster the interior dispositions their sons will need to use technology well, and not to be used by it. He encourages parents to train their young sons in other arenas in order to prepare for healthy use of technology. Moreover, he speaks to the need for parents to model the virtues they'd like to see, and accompany their boys in a close and intimate relationship once they begin their digital journey. Colin underscores that trust is not merely a result of but rather a means to achieving peace. If parents want their children to grow in virtue, they need to first trust that they can do so; for an intimate and personal relationship provides the proper culture for the growth of virtue. While external guardrails can be helpful and are at times necessary, in the end, virtue will be the best defense against evil and the strongest guarantee of the good. Chapters 3:30 A common sense convention 6:30 Fostering internal guides 9:20 Trust 10:25 Training 11:45 Let him be hungry 15:35 Let him be bored 19:30 Let him stay outside 23:15 Modeling 24:05 Detachment 25:15 Manners 26:00 Establishing an intimate and personal relationship 26:39 Freedom 32:45 Ownership 33:50 Learning from mistakes 34:20 Encouragement 37:50 Trust Missed the conference but don't want to miss out on the content? Check out the Freedom and Technology Collection.

"Man He made to serve Him wittily," said Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, "in the tangle of his mind." To serve God wittily requires an orderly mind, one capable of parsing through truths and falsehoods, able to string together arguments. Thus, the trivium endures: grammar, rhetoric, and logic. To discuss teaching logic to high school students, we welcome to the podcast Mark Grannis, Heights teacher, attorney, father, and author of The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life. In this episode, Mr. Grannis discusses what logic is, why it matters today, and how to teach it. Given man's nature as a rational animal, Mark argues that the study of logic—what he refers to as the art and science of sound reasoning—can improve the daily lives of everyone, regardless of his professional or academic path. Moreover, as social animals, Mark explains how logic can be a powerful means to attaining consensus in the public arena. In a world in which thinking has become an increasingly outsourced ability, learning the art and science of thinking well is perhaps more important than ever. Chapters 2:45 Introduction 3:30 Law and logic: Mark's path to the classroom 5:40 Why (traditional) logic today? 11:30 Symbolic and traditional logic 14:30 Examples of traditional logic 19:00 Practical benefits of logic 22:55 Logic and writing 24:40 Teaching logic to high schoolers 26:40 Why write your own textbooks? 28:40 What's different about The Reasonable Person? Recommended Resources The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life by Mark Grannis Logic and the Reasonable Person by Mark Grannis AI and the Take-Home Essay with Matt Mehan Why a Liberal Arts Education Today? with Michael Moynihan

This episode of HeightsCast features our Headmaster's Open House presentation, in which he shares our vision of education, along with the specific mission and concrete approach this vision animates. As you will hear, the Heights is informed by the timeless, yet vigorously engaged with the present, sinking its roots as a school and community into the soil of the 21st century. The Heights education, rather than seeking escape, strives to strengthen men who will, in turn, preserve, protect, and promote the good that is abundantly present in our modern world.

The real problem for many today is not ADD; it is, rather, what Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente refers to as IDD: intimacy deficit disorder. This problem is even worse for men, who on average have fewer close friends. Studies indicate that the percentage of males who report having at least six close friends has been cut in half since the 1990s. There is, it would seem, a recession in male friendships. While there is no easy panacea for this problem, as with most things, one's education can have a lasting impact on how a child learns—or doesn't learn—to relate to others. This week we feature a recording of the annual Headmaster's Lecture titled "Friendship and the 21st-Century Boy." In the lecture, Alvaro discusses what friendship is and how to help children—and young boys, in particular—foster healthy friendships. He discusses contemporary obstacles to friendship and why growth in maturity is necessary for true, deep, and lasting friendships. He also offers a few words on what parents can do about bad friends—or, rather, friends with bad characteristics. In the end, Alvaro gives some practical advice for how parents and educators can set the stage for the formation of what Cicero called "the greatest of all gifts from the gods," friendship. Chapters 4:42 Introduction 6:10 What is friendship? 8:47 Fostering friendship by common action 12:02 Intimacy 17:41 Why maturity is necessary 21:26 Characteristics of maturity in friendship 26:09 What to do about "bad friends"? 30:32 Should parents intervene in their children's friendships? 32:17 How to separate your son from a bad influence 39:27 Specific challenges to boy friendship in the 21st century 50:50 Challenge of living in a hypersexualized environment 54:02 Practical ideas

Man is by nature made for movement. As a social-rational animal, he is not meant to live an angelic existence; his flourishing is embodied and, even more, it is familial. Though we all know this intuitively, living a healthy life can be difficult in practice. Not only does personal experience tell us this, data suggests it: life expectancy in America is dropping. How is such a downward trend possible given the advances in medicine and technology? What humans have done since the dawn of time, and what they have stopped doing in the past fifty, Is to move on a daily, hourly basis. To speak about the importance of movement for human flourishing and family life, we welcome to HeightsCast our athletic director, Mr. Dan Lively. Keeping an eye on the development of the whole young person, Dan discusses the problem of sedentarism, a lack of movement, which plagues many people's lives. Rather than focusing on one-off exercise, Mr. Lively suggests we think about our overall relationship to movement. Living a healthy lifestyle involves more than checking a box; it involves developing habits of movement—low intensity, high volume, enjoyable movement that everyone can do for his whole life. Chapters 2:00 Introduction: On Movement 2:45 What is movement? 6:20 The sedentary person 8:25 Keeping it personal 11:00 VO2 max and life-expectancy 19:00 Healthspan: Peter Attia and the art of longevity 23:10 Zone training and movement culture 25:55 Movement and the liberal arts 28:04 Building a culture 30:55 Movement vs. exercise 39:43 Step-counters 43:00 Movement in the winter Recommended Resources Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia Alan Couzens Also on the Forum Character Formation in Elite Athletics with Brad Soderberg Systems for Athletic Success with Dan Lively

According to Aristotle (and Aquinas and others), the human person is essentially rational and social; man thinks, and he thinks best in the context of friendship. As such, at the very heart of man's education ought to be learning to write effectively, for good writing is thought clarified and beautified which can be shared with others. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence, however, seem to pose a formidable challenge to teachers who wish to help their students grow in this most human of crafts. To help us think through how we as teachers should approach this challenge, this week on HeightsCast we welcome Dr. Matthew Mehan, Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Government for Hillsdale's Steve and Amy Van Andel Graduate School of Government on Capitol Hill. Despite the risks and challenges associated with it, Dr. Mehan argues that teachers should not abandon the at-home long essay. Indeed, as he points out, the creativity and thoughtfulness required by teachers who still wish to utilize the at-home essay, while mitigating the risks of cheating, may even make them better at their own art. As it becomes increasingly easier for a student to cheat his way through simplistic prompts and an outcome-focused approach to writing, teachers must now think more deeply about the kinds of written assignments they give their students and the process they use to guide them along the way. All this extra effort is well worth it. As Dr. Mehan reminds us: "If you cannot order your thoughts beautifully and rationally, cogently and powerfully, in writing, you cannot clarify your own thinking, nevermind then share that thinking in the most brilliant and candid way." Chapters 0:55 Introduction 4:00 Artificial intelligence and teaching the craft of writing 7:20 Are at-home assignments worth the risk of cheating? 14:00 The real good of teaching writing 15:45 Strategies for mitigating cheating 19:30 The importance of writing to thinking and socializing 20:55 Imitation and the art of writing 21:50 More strategies 25:40 Summary of strategies for mitigating risk Pre-conversations Discussion of thesis statement Pre-writing process Refining your prompts Imitation and style 27:00 A new era in education? 30:25 Will AI alter language more fundamentally? 31:50 Some ideas for essay prompts 37:12 Love, fear, and the stealing of ideas: the ethics of AI 44:05 Can AI really know anything? 46:15 How AI can make us better teachers 48:00 Cite your sources: the limitation of ChatGPT as a research tool 52:22 In-class vs. at-home essays Also on the Forum Writing from the Sentence Up by Joe Breslin 5 Don'ts and Dos When Teaching Writing by Joe Breslin On Writing: A Personal Reflection by Michael Ortiz Splashing in Puddles: Finding the Creative Writing Flow by Joe Bissex Why Our Politics Needs Poetry with Dr. Matthew Mehan

In a culture where autonomy is often pursued as an ideal, it's not surprising to learn that America is also experiencing a so-called loneliness epidemic. Together with loneliness, depression is also on the rise—a correlation that makes sense, given man's nature as a social animal. What is the solution to these problems? While there is perhaps no panacea, there is a particularly important starting point: the intergenerational family. This week, we explore the idea of "intergenerational human flourishing" with Fr. Robert Gahl, long-time professor at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome, Italy, who was recently appointed Associate Professor in the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America. In this episode, Fr. Bob weaves research from several disciplines—sociology, philosophy, theology, and neuroscience—together with his own personal and pastoral experience. All the data point to the same fact: if they are to flourish, our sons need to know themselves to be part of a bigger story which includes relationships with parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents. Such strong intergenerationality will give our boys a sense that life is a total gift. Our job as educators, then, is to free young people from an individualistic solipsism, in part by helping them discover the role they are created to play in an intergenerational ecosystem. Chapters 3:30 Introduction: intergenerational human flourishing 4:55 Human flourishing 10:15 Intergenerationality 12:45 Protagonists of a story 17:30 The role of grandparents 22:30 Family in different cultures 27:05 Attachment and independence in the home 31:15 Cause for hope 37:15 Heroism transmitted in the home 42:15 Fr. Bob's work at the Busch School Mentioned in the episode The Human Flourishing Program, directed by Tyler VanderWeele Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI Master of Science in Ecclesial Administration and Management at the Busch School of Business Also from the Forum Shaping Your Son's Moral Imagination with Alvaro de Vicente

Be careful that in encouraging a grade, you don't shortchange growth; for a grade ought to be a means to growth, helping students—and their parents—see where they are so they can know where to go. Ideally, grades are the beginning of a conversation about what lies underneath the surface: the "why" beneath the "what". In today's episode, Heights Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente guides us through a nuanced discussion on how parents can understand, interpret, and respond to their sons' grades while nurturing strong and lasting bonds. Acknowledging that grades serve as a judgment of the quality of a young man's work at a given time, Mr. de Vicente sheds light on strategies to decipher the meaning behind the letters and numbers. Is it a problem of time, habits, or effort? Is it a helpful indicator of aptitude? Regardless of the cause or cure, Alvaro reminds us that even more important than helping to raise a grade, is strengthening the bond parents have with their son. Chapters 2:30 Defining grades 3:30 Grades: more than a necessary evil 5:00 How parents should approach grades 7:28 Digging into the "why" behind a grade 9:35 Elements of a grade: intelligence, time, habits, effort 14:45 Optimal Work and grades 16:55 Why boys need to own their grades 21:00 Evolving relationship with grades 24:00 Growth over grades 26:00 Respecting a school's professional competence 29:35 What your tone communicates 36:35 Internal motivation 40:00 How to reframe as a parent Recommended Resources Punished by Rewards? from The Golden Hour Podcast Also on the Forum Handling Poor Grades: Steps to an Academic Reset with Michael Moynihan Grinders Aren't Heroes: On Student Motivation by Dave Fornaciari and Michael Hude Motivation: Encouraging Reluctant Students by Tom Cox

"The mind," Plutarch wrote, "is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting." The teacher's job, then, is not so much transferring data about the world from his mind to the students, but leading them to fall in love with the world that they see as good. The same is true for preparing teachers: what is needed is to light a fire. There is no better man to light such a fire for the teaching vocation than Heights Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente. In this week's episode, Mr. de Vicente addresses the attendees of the 2022 Teaching Vocation Conference, introducing them to teaching as a vocation and a profession. He offers his thoughts on what it means for work to be a vocation, what it means for work to be a profession, and why it is that teachers are called to work that is both a profession and a vocation. Finally, our headmaster shares his thoughts on how we can tell whether the classroom is for us, or rather, whether we have been made for the classroom. Chapters 3:05 Introduction to the topic 4:07 What is teaching? 7:52 Out of intellectual ignorance, but also moral ignorance 12:55 Every school teaches morality 16:00 What is a vocation? 22:35 The vocation of a teacher 27:18 Not a bad audience: you, your pupils, your friends, God 29:30 The need for teachers 30:10 The field of life 32:15 The need for male teachers 32:35 Discerning the teaching vocation Also on the Forum Guidance for Aspiring Teachers with Alvaro de Vicente On Preparation for Teaching: Six Attributes of Great Teachers with Colin Gleason Why Teach? An Introduction to the Teaching Vocation with Rich Moss The Art of Teaching with Rich Moss

"It's the little details that are vital," said Coach John Wooden. "Little things make big things happen." Among the little details of school, which at times may feel more mundane than meaningful, is the dress code. To discuss the why behind our dress code, we welcome to the podcast Assistant Headmaster Tom Royals. As parents and teachers, we work together to help our boys look sharp: buttons buttoned, ties up, shoes—yes, leather shoes—laced and tied. Our Assistant Headmaster reminds us that this work is worth the effort despite the repetitive and thankless nature of our stylistic exhortations. Listen in to learn more about what motivates us to keep the lads looking sharp. Chapters 2:45 What motivates the school's attention to detail in dress? 4:30 Why a professional dress code? 8:35 Order both inward and outward 12:12 Decorum and charity 14:40 Preserving decorum and modesty 16:25 Modes of encouragement in the hallways 20:45 Teacher as the anchor point for students 22:40 Effects of COVID 25:00 The home front Also on the Forum Dressing Like a Gentleman by George Messenger Teaching Magnanimous Dress with Joel Sellier Material Order and the Middle School Boy with Kyle Blackmer Self-Mastery: On Fostering Interior Freedom in Schools with Alvaro de Vicente

What, you might ask, does cheese have to do with education? The answer is not that you may find holes in both, but rather that both require attention to the local culture to be made whole. This week on HeightsCast, Mr. Tom Steenson shares his thoughts on the tone and culture of the classroom. Leaning on nearly twenty-five years of teaching experience, Tom encourages us as teachers to see our classrooms as second homes and our role as assisting their primary families. There are, of course, important differences between being a parent and being a teacher, yet the overlap between the two vocations is striking and worth pondering. Listen to Mr. Steenson's ideas on how to shape the tone and culture of the classroom to be a place where students know they're loved, love to learn, and therefore learn to know and love all the more. Chapters 2:15 Chesterton and cheese 5:07 Like father, like teacher 9:35 How teaching is an art 11:50 What is "tone"? 15:05 Externals that affect the tone 18:10 Classrooms as expressing the teacher's personality 19:15 Differences between being a parent and a teacher 23:13 Overcoming first judgments 25:45 A key aspect of being an effective teacher 32:50 Recommended reading for teachers 35:15 On posters Also from the Forum School Tone, the Most Powerful Teacher with Alvaro de Vicente Discipline in the Classroom: On the Art of Order with Colin Gleason Artwork in Schools: On the Buildings that Build Us with Joe Cardenas Creating a Culture of Learning in the Home by Alvaro de Vicente John Paul II's "Culture-First" Approach: The Pope-Saint's Lessons for Parents, Teachers, and Leaders with George Weigel Ways to Foster a Family Culture by Alvaro de Vicente

Upper School Head Michael Moynihan encourages teachers to view their students as sovereign knowers called to exercise agency in their learning. As teachers, we lead by walking backwards, but our students should provide the forward momentum. Yet this momentum must itself be fostered by a proper approach to the art of teaching. Mr. Moynihan shares ideas here about how teachers can create an environment conducive to this sense of agency.

In this episode, Heights Headmaster, Alvaro de Vicente elaborates on his vision for our Heights Graduates as "Men Fully Alive." This vocation is a life-long pursuit. The closer we get, the farther we realize we have to travel. And yet, the calling to full and authentic manhood brings peace once embraced. This peace results from knowing who we are, thinking big, and realizing that we can pursue these ends with joy and friendship.

This week on HeightsCast we feature Tom Cox, Upper School Latin teacher and one of the architects of the Core Humanities Sequence. In the Episode, Tom explains what epic poetry is, where it fits into our curriculum, and why we teach it. Weaving together themes from Homer, Virgil, and Dante, Mr. Cox shows us how these epic poems shape the boys' moral imaginations at a time when they are first beginning to ask life's perennial questions: What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of my life? Can I be a hero? If so, what is my quest? By way of epic poetry, as Tom explains, the boys can begin to see that some of the most epic of all journeys may be hidden in the most ordinary, quotidien activities of life.

"Have a great summer!" We hear it and say it incessantly, but what are we actually wishing for our boys? 21st Century America gives boys 3 months off--that is one quarter of the year and an enormous amount of time. Join Lower School Head, Colin Gleason, for a discussion of three ways that boys can fill their summer with healthy leisure and positive growth.

To learn more about the Summer Workshops, click here. Dr. Matthew Mehan unpacks the liberal arts. We can throw the term around to describe our school, but do we really understand what we mean? Is it more than a list of good books? Dr. Mehan explores what it means to be a student of the "arts of liberty"–a life long pursuit. For all of us. Show Notes TheGuardian.com, Our Minds can be Hijacked St. Basil the Great, Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature De Doctrina Christiana Seneca's Letter 88 Pope Benedict's Regensburg Address Pope Pius XI, Divini Illius Magistri Sirach 6:18

Lower School Head, Colin Gleason, discusses paternal patience and anger in this week's episode. If you, like so many dads, find yourself regretting the fact that you "lost it," listen in. Mr. Gleason discusses anger and the ways that we, as fathers, can direct this emotion towards the good.

At the heart of teaching is the desire to make an impact on the lives of one's students. Beyond conveying useful information or training them in resume-building skills, great teachers wish to help their students live well—to be fully alive. Such a task, difficult as it may be, is what mentoring is all about. Yet most schools may not have a formal mentoring program. In these circumstances, how can teachers, who wish to help their students in ways that go beyond math or language arts, mentor students? To help us answer this question, we welcome back to HeightsCast our Head of Mentoring, Joe Cardenas, for a discussion on how teachers can mentor in schools without a formal mentoring program. In the episode, Joe explains what mentoring is and why it matters, offering guidance on how to be intentional, humble, and patient as teachers seek to help students not only see the good to be done but come to want to do the good they have seen. Register for Joe's Mentoring Workshop here. For lyrics, translation, and history of Regina Caeli, please visit: https://adoremus.org/2007/09/singing-the-four-seasonal-marian-anthems/ Chapters 0:35 Introduction 2:27 What is mentoring? 4:25 Who can be a mentor? 7:40 Getting started 11:26 Being intentional 12:15 Being humble 13:55 Respecting the agency of mentees 15:40 Vale la pena: it is worth it 17:40 Advice for conversations with mentees 22:00 An example of mentoring 23:50 Encouraging without increasing anxiety 28:20 Parents as mentors 30:15 Mentoring: important, though rarely urgent Also on the Forum Foundations for Mentoring Struggling Students: On Fighting the Right Fires with David Maxham Mentoring Sons to a Successful Summer with Joe Cardenas Finding Mentors After Graduation: On Find Your Six with Pat Kilner On Addressing Character Defects: Thoughts on Tough Love with Joe Cardenas Why Boys Need Mentors with Joe Cardenas and Alex Berthe

"Education," wrote G. K. Chesterton, "is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." If Chesterton is right, then education is about transmitting a culture, for what is culture if not the embodiment of a society's soul? And what "soul" can be passed on from one human to another if it is not first embodied? To discuss the importance of culture both to society generally and education specifically, we welcome to HeightsCast George Weigel, a distinguished senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a New York Times bestselling author. In the episode, Mr. Weigel speaks about Pope St. John Paul II's "culture first" approach. Contrasting the late pope's view with Marx's view of economics as the primary driver of history and the Jacobin view of politics in the driver seat, Weigel explains the historical and philosophical roots of John Paul II's view of culture as the driving force in history. Along the way, he discusses what culture is and what education has to do with it. Recommended Resources Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II by George Weigel John Paul II and the Priority of Culture by George Weigel Also on the Forum Family Culture with Alvaro de Vicente Creating a Culture of Learning in the Home by Alvaro de Vicente

In schools today, Shakespeare is often taught superficially. Students attempt to grasp the plot with the aid of their teacher, who helps them through the difficult Elizabethan English. At best they learn something about the beautification of language and the cultural significance of the Bard. But his work is not taught as it was written to be understood, that is, sapientially, for growth in practical wisdom and the ability to see more clearly the nature of man and the man's relationship with both fellow man and God. This week on HeightsCast, we welcome back Dr. Matthew Mehan for a discussion of Shakespeare and the education of leaders. Associate Dean and Assistant Professor at Hillsdale's Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Dr. Mehan helps us see that there is more to Shakespeare than is immediately apparent from a surface-level reading of his plays. He explains how a deep reading of the Bard offers a training in that nimbleness of mind—a good mother wit—without which, St. Thomas More said, all learning is half lame. To do this, Dr. Mehan walks us through the opening of Hamlet, Act V. Not only does he offer an example of Shakespeare's genius, he also gives an example of how to teach Shakespeare as not only aesthetically delightful but also morally instructive and useful—the ideal companion to theology and philosophy. For educators interested in learning more about Shakespeare and how to teach him as a teacher of wisdom, check out the Forum's summer workshop on Shakespeare. Chapters 1:00 How Shakespeare is taught in schools today 3:00 Why and how to study Shakespeare 6:03 Polysemy and the good mother wit 10:13 Literature as experience 12:55 Mirror neurons and man as mimetic 14:10 Ethical gyms and ethical gems 16:25 Shakespeare as Socrates, Nester, and Virgil 19:00 How to approach Shakespeare for the novice 23:10 Opening up the text: Hamlet, V.1 33:40 Shakespeare as teacher of self-government and liberty 35:00 Shakespeare and the American tradition 36:40 Advice for teachers 39:00 Shakespeare as a companion for life Also from the Forum Summer Workshops for Teachers Why Our Politics Needs Poetry with Dr. Matthew Mehan On Reading Literature by Joe Bissex Five Fruits of a Poetic Education by Nate Gadiano In Real Time: The Temporal Order of the Liberal Arts by Dr. Matthew Mehan On Pieper's Prudence: A Virtue for the Great Souled with Colin Gleason, Tom Cox, and Austin Hatch

In G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy, he tells a sort of parable in which children are given space to play on a mountain top surrounded by steep precipices on all sides. At first the children are left to play on the mountain top without any walls. Fearful of falling off one of the edges, they all huddle up in the middle. Then, walls are erected, and the security that such walls provide gives the children the confidence they need to play without fear of falling. A father's loving presence can act like such walls in the lives of his children. Yet, at times, the practical realities of life make it difficult for fathers to be fully present in such a way. This week on HeightsCasts, we feature a talk given by headmaster Alvaro de Vicente on the topic of paternal presence, originally offered at our recent fatherhood conference. Although there are no set manuals for successful parenting, in his talk Mr. de Vicente suggests four areas that fathers can consider as they examine the ways they may or may not be present in their children's lives: The importance of paternal presence The obstacles to paternal presence Professional work Personal interests Difficult children The types of presence Physical Intellectual Moral Spiritual The stages of presence Holding the hand Holding the back of the bike Holding the second steering wheel Holding the phone In the end, Alvaro encourages fathers to behave as they would wish their sons to behave when they reach their own age. But when they fail, he also reminds them of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta's words: "God doesn't ask that we succeed in everything, but that we are faithfull.". Chapters 0:14 WelcomeStart 2:15 The importance of presence 5:00 Some challenges to being present 11:40 DSuggestions for dealing with those challenges 12:50 Types of presence 13:00 Physical 18:55 Intellectual 27:35 Moral 29:00 Spiritual 33:10 Stages of presence 37:40 Takeaways and concluding thoughts Also on the Forum Friendship for Fathers: On Living and Teaching the Art with Prof. John Cuddeback The Bedrock Principle of Fatherhood with Andy Reed The Father and His Family: On Fatherhood with Michael Moynihan Parenting from Fear: On Reasons for Confidence with Alvaro de Vicente Parental Authority: On Our Role with Dr. Leonard Sax

As the world of academia becomes increasingly polarized, parents may be concerned about sending their children off to colleges where the general culture and ethos of campus are less than favorable to the worldview and way of life found in their own homes. Yet, many of these institutions are also prestigious and hold promise for success in one's professional career. How, then, should parents think about sending their children to such institutions? How should students, who have decided to attend them, approach their time there? Fly under the radar? Be an argumentative warrior for what they think is true? To help us think through some of these questions, we welcome Nate Gadiano, Executive Director of The Heights Forum. Drawing on his experience as an undergraduate at Princeton and a graduate student at Notre Dame, Nate shares his thoughts on engaging with academic communities and cultures that differ from one's own upbringing. This podcast discussion was occasioned by a recent talk given by Mr. Gadiano for a group of parents, in which he discussed how parents can prepare their children for different college environments. In that talk, Nate gave seven principles for engaging with others in a fruitful and friendly manner: Go where you are not welcomed. Make your beliefs normal and attractive. Don't argue with strangers; discuss with friends. Prepare more than you plan. Find the heart of the disagreement. Think long term. Approach souls on your knees. In the end, Nate's message to students as they prepare for college is contained in these words: be careful that in winning an argument you don't lose a soul; be careful that in winning a friend you don't lose your soul. Chapters 1:15 Introduction 3:35 Sending your children to universities with antithetical worldviews 4:32 A caveat: know yourself 5:30 Digging into the why: service of souls 6:08 In Our Lady's secret service 7:10 Advice for high school seniors 8:10 Go where you are not welcomed 10:50 Make your beliefs normal 11:48 Answer contempt with compassion 14:00 Finding a coach and a team 16:40 Advice for difficult conversations 17:20 Prepare more than you plan 18:05 Have more than you show, speak less than you know 19:45 On preparation 22:10 On friendship with people who disagree 22:45 Discovering the hidden good 28:00 Is it possible for people to change their mind? Also from the Forum Parenting from Fear: On Reasons for Confidence with Alvaro de Vicente The Man Fully Alive: On Our Vision with Alvaro de Vicente When to Fight: On Fistcuffs and the Peacemaking Protector with Kyle Blackmer Finding Mentors After Graduation: On Find Your Six with Pat Kilner On Preparing for Bad News: Raising Men Who Can Handle It with Dr. Matthew Mehan

Parents love their children and desire the best for them. Yet at times the world seems full of dangers and obstacles to a child's ultimate good. Because of this, a certain fear may cast a shadow on the ways parents relate to their children. To discuss parenting and fear, we welcome back Mr. Alvaro de Vicente to HeightsCast. In the episode, Alvaro explains some of the dangers of being overprotective and parenting from a sense of fear. Rather, he encourages parents to prudently discern moments to give their children the space for making the right choice on their own, which of course means that they also have the freedom to make a mistake. At the same time, Alvaro offers advice on optimistic and formative ways to say "no" to one's children, when such is necessary. As Alvaro reminds us, gratitude for the good received helps one to make positive decisions about the good to be done. If families make intentional time to remember and give thanks to God for the goodness in the world, parents and children alike will be naturally drawn to that Goodness from which the world came. Chapters 0:40 Introduction: fear based parenting 2:15 Why we fall into parenting with fear 3:50 Manifestations of parenting with fear 9:05 How and when to say "no" 11:58 The middle class myth and parental anxiety 14:05 Why parents should avoid this mode of parenting 17:20 Rebellious children 19:05 Why we shouldn't be afraid 21:40 Practical considerations 27:12 The unexpected, difficult questions 30:30 Parenting with optimism Also on the Forum Parental Authority: Our Role with Dr. Leonard Sax Discipline in the Classroom: The Art of Order with Colin Gleason Friendship for Fathers: Living and Teaching the Art with Prof. John Cuddeback Parenting: Patience or Optimism with Andy Reed His Anxiety and Ours: Confessions of an Anxious Parent Who Happens to Be a Therapist with Alex Berthé

In the past twenty years, research suggests that parents are worrying more about their children and spending more to provide them with comforts. In spite of such worry and wealth, the past twenty years have also seen an increase in these same American-born children from well-to-do families being diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders. Meanwhile, parents tend to swing from overly strict to overly lenient. Balancing love, both tender and tough, is a difficult art. To help us dive deeper into this parental task, we welcome Dr. Leonard Sax to HeightsCast. In the episode, Dr. Sax discusses his book, The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups. Drawing both from the wisdom of the ancients and the insights of modern science, Dr. Sax explains the importance of parental authority in raising children. Besides discussing parenting authority, he also offers thoughts on the importance of culture and schools, urging parents to consider carefully and choose prudently the school to which they will send their children. As Dr. Sax reminds us, authentic freedom is not mere license, and if children are to be free in the end, they must, at the start, have the right amount of parental guidance. To give too much freedom too soon may end in the very loss of the freedom which one would have hoped to give. Chapters 0:30 Introduction 2:15 What is parental authority? 11:00 Parental worries 19:05 Some statistics on psychiatric diagnoses in America 21:30 Parents and the transmission of culture 23:35 The middle class myth 27:52 "Elon Musk" schools vs. "Mother Theresa" schools 32:20 Shifts in American culture from 1967-2017 34:40 Approaching difficult grades as a parent 38:25 Too hard, too soft, or just right: should parents negotiate? 45:50 Advice for single parents 49:10 Fake it until you make it 53:45 The importance of intergenerational bonds Recommended Resources Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Dr. Leonard Sax Why Gender Matters, Second Edition: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences by Dr. Leonard Sax Also on the Forum Discipline in the Classroom: The Art of Order with Colin Gleason Carpool: Making Commute Time Good Time with Kyle Blackmer Friendship for Fathers: Living and Teaching the Art with Prof. John Cuddeback

Hell, Dante expresses, is being trapped by our false attempts to be free. Thus, the Comedy's Satan is forever stuck in the ice of a lake made frozen by the beating of his wings as he attempts to "free" himself from the reality of God. Education, on the other hand, frees us from such a lake by leading us to embrace, with the fullness of our being, the Truth which sets us free. This week on HeightCast we welcome Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti for a discussion of what Pope Benedict XVI can teach us about such an education. Drawing especially from the late pope's 2008 address to educators at The Catholic University of America, Dr. Lanzilotti explains how hope and the beauty which engenders it rests at the heart of Pope Benedict's response to what he called a crisis of education in the modern world. Moving between theology and praxis, Dr. Lanzilotti focuses our attention on the nature and calling of educational institutions, both as they relate to the Church and to the world at large. Beyond places of data transfer or ready-made success measurable by test scores, such institutions are meeting places that reverberate with the life of the Church. They are places where students encounter the truth and especially that Truth which is found in prayer. They are places where beauty—the splendor of truth—can reverberate first in the hearts of students and then in the families and communities where they are called to serve after graduation. Chapters 1:23 Introduction: Pope Benedict XVI's address to educators 2:40 The virtue of hope and education for the future 6:22 What does it mean to be a Catholic educator? 11:00 Restoring the fullness of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty 13:30 The importance of why questions 14:30 The communal dimension of education 19:10 Egalitarian elitism and intellectual charity 21:35 The intellect and the will 25:15 The will and our heart 28:25 The interaction between affectivity and the human heart 30:50 Moral truth 33:55 The adventure of education 37:53 Both for Catholic institutions and Catholic teachers who are not in Catholic schools 40:15 Concluding thoughts: more than a facade Additional Resources Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Truth and Tolerance: Christian Belief and World Religions by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger "Joseph Ratzinger as Doctor of Incarnate Beauty" by Tracey Rowland "Address to Educators at The Catholic University of America" by Pope Benedict XVI "Letter on the Urgent Task of Educating Young People" by Pope Benedict XVI "General Audience on Prayer and the Holy Family of Nazareth" by Pope Benedict XVI "Message on Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization" by Pope Benedict XVI Also on the Forum Order and Surprise: On Beauty and the Western Tradition with Lionel Yaceczko Artwork in Schools: On the Buildings that Build Us with Joe Cardenas On the Education of the Human Heart with Anton Vorozhko

What does it mean to be "civilized"? What is justice? What is a citizen? Given the opportunity, would you have killed Julius Caesar? Was Nero inevitable, or is it possible to keep one's wits while running such a powerful empire? These are a few of the questions that eighth graders at The Heights are challenged to ponder together in their core class. With the help of their teachers and a new history textbook, the boys not only consider these questions amongst themselves but do so in dialogue with some of the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition. This week on HeightsCast, we discuss Tom Cox and Bill Dardis's new book, Becoming Rome: Foundation, Republic, and Empire in the Words of Eminent Romans. In addition to sharing the story behind their writing, Tom and Bill introduce us to their method of teaching history at the primary and secondary school levels. Drawing on fourteen years of experience in the classroom as well as graduate studies in the liberal arts, Tom and Bill offer practical insights for teachers who hope not only to bring history to life in the classroom but also to prepare their students to bring those lessons into their own lives. Chapters 0:32 Introduction 2:00 A better approach to the history textbook 4:50 The big questions hidden in the narratives of history 7:00 The contemporary approach to history lessons 9:56 Receiving tradition and engaging it 11:00 Why study history at all? 15:50 A roadmap to history 19:15 Method of the book 24:23 Seminars and discussing difficult topics 28:15 Why write a book? 31:32 The book's target age level 32:45 The relationship between Christianity and the book Also on the Forum The Importance of Ugly History by Mark Grannis Keeping the Story in History by Mark Grannis Seeing History: On Using Images in the History Classroom by Kyle Blackmer Hillsdale's M. Spalding on the Importance of History Pt. I with Dr. Matt Spalding Hillsdale's M. Spalding on the Importance of History Pt. II with Dr. Matt Spalding Plutarch's Lives Teach: Character Education through Story with Tom Cox History the Way it Was…and the Way it Should Be by Bill Dardis Writing and Thought; Oratory and Ethics: What We Give Our Seventh Graders in the Core with Tom Cox

As teachers and parents, it is often difficult to find the balance between leniency and strictness, love and fear. Getting the right tone, being firm in principle and flexible in preference, is indeed an art and an especially difficult one. While nothing can replace personal experience for growing in this art, self-reflection is a great aid to this end. This week on HeightsCast, Mr. Colin Gleason, Head of the Lower School, offers an aid to our personal reflection. The episode features a presentation by Mr. Gleason from our recent Art of Teaching Conference. At that conference, he spoke to seventy men from across the United States and beyond about how we, as teachers, can foster an environment of respectful dominion in the classroom. Colin offers a list of twelve principles, together with a great many practical pointers and delightful anecdotes. In the end, the point of discipline is to foster the right tone for learning, the proper culture for growth. Whether this growth occurs in the home or in the classroom, having the right tone is ultimately about love. Rome, they say, was not loved because she was great; she was great because she was first loved. So too our sons and students. Chapters 2:25 Beginning with the end 3:50 A question of balance 6:35 Principle #1: Discipline begins before class begins 8:32 Principle #2: Best disciplinary tool is a good lesson plan 12:25 Principle #3: Fostering class culture is more effective than listing class rules 14:40 Principle #4: We earn capital outside to spend inside 17:05 Principle #5: Smiling isn't enough; we need to laugh 19:45 Principle #6: Let them love what they see and fear what they don't 24:45 Principle #7: Don't confuse personal preference with principles 25:40 Principle #8: Non-correction corrections 27:35 Principle #9: Replace star stickers with handshakes 29:15 Principle #10: Learners over lessons 31:25 Principle #11: Replace line-writing with push-ups 34:30 Principle #12: When you send students to the principal's office, your authority goes with them Also on the Forum Boys, Education, and The Heights with Alvaro de Vicente Raising Contemplative Sons: The Problem with Boys with Colin Gleason Our Little Protectors: How Do WE See Our Boys? with Alvaro de Vicente On Recess: The Benefits of Free Play with Colin Gleason Toughness for the Adolescent Boy by Kyle Blackmer Seeing Our Boys with Loving Eyes: Not Projects, but Persons with Tom Royals Why Boys Need to Be Given Freedom by Andy Reed Material Order and the Middle School Boy with Kyle Blackmer Can I Catch It?: On Handling Wildlife with Eric Heil *For lyrics and history of the Ave Regina Caelorum, please visit adoremus.org.

It's not merely where you are going, but how you get there, that matters. And as we often find ourselves going places in cars, it is worth stopping to consider how we spend our car rides. In this week's episode, we welcome back to the podcast Mr. Kyle Blackmer for a discussion of the daily commute. Whether we carpool or ride solo, Mr. Blackmer helps us to reframe how we approach this daily endeavor which can easily become, at best, dead time and, at worst, dreaded time. Kyle shows us how the car, with the right attitude and a little creativity, can become its own classroom. He encourages us to think about how we can best use this time by praying, engaging in good conversation—at times mere fun, at other times more formative–, listening to good music and books, and celebrating. Chapters 00:45 Introduction: reframing the daily commute 3:20 How can we make carpooling more fruitful for our sons? 5:43 The car as a classroom: the first and last period of the day 6:22 Four modes of teaching in the Car 6:45 Prayer, especially the Rosary, especially in the morning 9:28 Car as a place for friendship, shared life 10:55 Conversation in cars 16:20 The art of asking good questions and listening 17:15 Tuning into the boys in front of you 19:16 Setting guidelines for your carpool 21:10 Being intentional about what you listen to 25:35 Audiobooks and classic rock 27:50 Celebrating the in little ways 31:20 Finding moments for little points of correction 33:30 Advice for solo commuters 35:50 The last three minutes: preparing for your return home Recommended Audiobooks for the Road The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart Seabiscuit by Charles Rivers Editors Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Treasury for Children by James Herriot Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingallas Wilder The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Once and Future King by T.H. White The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells The Complete Father Brown Collection by G.K. Chesterton A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller Also on the Forum On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends with Tom Royals Friendship for Fathers: John Cuddeback on Living and Teaching the Art with John Cuddeback Sarah Mackenzi on the Read-Aloud Family with Sarah Mackenzi

In a recent national survey of adults in America, a striking sixty-one percent of young adults (age 18-25) reported feeling serious loneliness. Such feelings of loneliness were also accompanied by anxiety and depression. Although humans are by nature social animals, it would seem that forming deep friendships may not always come so naturally. How do we form friendships? How do we help our sons form friendships? What even is friendship? To help us answer these questions, we welcome to HeightsCast John Cuddeback, professor of philosophy at Christendom College and Life Craft writer and speaker. In this episode, Professor Cuddeback helps us understand what friendship is, how to practice the art of friendship, and how friendship goes hand-in-hand with happiness. As he explains, friendships do not merely happen. Rather, they require intentional cultivation and sustained effort. Indeed, like any art, the art of friendship requires discipline and practice. Specifically, Professor Cuddeback focuses our attention on how a husband can form a deep friendship with his wife and a few male friends, as well as how he can help his children to grow in their own friendships. Being a father first, he may one day become a friend of his adult children. As Professor Cuddeback explains, true friendship is the only way to overcome loneliness in life. And, in the end, it will be in sharing our lives with friends that we come to find the ultimate meaning of our lives. Chapters 1:25 What is friendship? 4:15 Different kinds of friendship 9:05 Friendship and human flourishing 11:05 Happiness today 14:00 The activities of friendship 19:40 The number of friends 24:40 Friendship for the twenty-first century father 28:00 Selecting friends 33:30 Friendship with your spouse 41:10 Friendship with other men 44:30 How to prioritize relationships 47:15 Parenting and friendship 50:47 How to coach our children in forming friendships 55:37 Advice and encouragement for single mothers Resources Life-Craft.org True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness by John Cuddeback Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle Spiritual Friendship by Aelred of Rievaulx Treatise on Law by Thomas Aquinas Also on The Forum Cultivating Friendship in the Classroom by Austin Hatch On Friendship after Senior Year: Higher Stakes and Beautiful Opportunities with Dave Maxham Friendship for the 21st Century Boy with Alvaro de Vicente On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends with Tom Royals

With another year having passed—perhaps even sped by—and a new one underfoot, HeightsCast returns with a discussion of time and solitude with Mike Ortiz and Rob Greving. Together, Mike and Rob invite us to slow down as they unpack their two recently published articles on the Forum. Mr. Ortiz dives into Henry David Thoreau's cabin life and the importance of intentional times of solitude in our lives, while Mr. Greving considers our often uneasy relationship with time and the good of slowing down, even as the world speeds up. As we look forward to the new year with hope and anticipation, let us not forget to slow down and, in Mr. Greving's words, listen for the present moment. After all, you can't read a poem in a hurry. And if you are always in a hurry, you might miss the poetry of life. Chapters 1:45 Background to the articles 5:43 Thoreau's way of solitude: the path to a greater appreciation of the world 10:15 Never less alone than when alone 13:30 Time alone and listening for God 15:55 Silence and the capacity to attend 20:55 Having more that is worth less 22:55 Handling time gently 30:08 Times of leisure in the life of a school 32:30 Beyond life hacks: cultivating a disposition 40:56 Poetry, solitude, and time 45:13 You can't read a poem in a hurry 48:02 Slowing down in family life 53:00 The importance of not over-scheduling kids 57:15 Conclusion and a closing poem Recommended Resources Walden by Henry David Thoreau The World of Silence by Max Picard Living in Liturgical Time by Terence Sweeney "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost "Mossbawn": Two Poems in Dedication by Seamus Heaney Also on The Forum Thoreau's Cabin Life: Why It's Not Anti-Social to Savor Solitude by Mike Ortiz Handling Time Gently by Rob Greving The Freedom to Form Bonds: Kevin Majeres on Mindfulness and Attention with Kevin Majeres Forming Deep Workers with Cal Newport What Is the Difference between Free Time and Leisure? by Joe Bissex

From the very start, the founders of The Heights understood education to consist in the communication of a culture. As culture often enters a boy's mind through his senses, an important means of this transmission is the art and architecture of a school. Indeed, in many ways buildings embody the ideals of an institution. This week Joe Cardenas, head of mentoring and long-time art history teacher, joins us for a conversation on the importance of beauty in education. Rooting the conversation in the American tradition, Joe helps us see why and how the art and architecture of schools is as important as the books in its curriculum. As we hear from Joe, the art on a school's walls become the images adorning a student's soul. If we want to help our boys be at home in their very selves, the art of schools is an indispensable means to this end. Chapters 1:25 An evening of art for parents at The Hawthorn School 4:40 Art and beauty in the American tradition 5:35 Washington's leadership at Valley Forge 7:23 Why does beauty matter? 9:00 The museum of our soul and the archive of our experiences 10:43 What is the role of beauty in a school building? 14:13 Pope Benedict XVI on Beauty 16:00 Cardinal Newman on Beauty 17:22 Beauty and the daily reality of boys 21:25 Beauty in business 24:00 Robert Jackson and the early years of The Heights 28:30 Churchill's speech on rebuilding the House of Commons Additional Resources Adoremus.org's explanation of the Four Seasonal Marian Anthems (includes history and translation) PDF of Music and Lyrics to Alma Redemtoris Mater from gregorian-chant-hymns.com Speech on the Rebuilding of the House of Commons by Winston Churchill Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty by Joseph Ratzinger A Catholic Eton? by Paul Shrimpton Also on the Forum School Tone, the Most Powerful Teacher with Alvaro de Vicente Building Little Houses: Why Random Art Projects Are Awesome by Joe Bissex Manners: The Art of Happiness by Robert Greving Why Our Politics Needs Poetry with Dr. Matthew Mehan Five Fruits of a Poetic Education by Nate Gadiano

In many schools, education is understood in reductively intellectual terms. The point of teaching, it would seem, is merely to inform, to fill the mind with data, to train the intellect to perform tasks and solve puzzles. To be sure, information and intellectual virtues are essential aspects of education; but they are not the whole, and to make them so would be to reduce the person to his mind. In this talk, taken from our recent Art of Teaching Conference, Anton Vorozhko helps us understand the role of the heart in the education of the whole human person. Starting with a reflection on the greatest of teachers, Christ—the one to whom all other teachers ought ultimately to point—Anton offers advice at once practical and personal. His talk centers on three areas, or apostolates, which he suggests teachers should consider: presence, correction, and prayer. In the end, considering these three apostolates will help teachers turn their daily work into what St. John Henry Newman called a cor ad cor loquitur—a heart speaking unto heart—making his task not only to inform the mind but equally to move the heart. Chapters 0:05 Other men are teaching! 1:00 Looking to the ultimate models: Our Lord and many of the saints 3:40 The dream of Don Bosco and the Preventive System 7:20 Conquer through love: seeing Christ in our classroom 10:03 Not a job, a vocation 11:24 Three apostolates of the teacher: presence, correction, prayer 11:40 Apostolate of presence 15:30 Apostolate of correction 17:48 Suggestions from Don Bosco 19:05 Apostolate of prayer 21:45 St. John Paul II as a university professor Additional Resources Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco: From St. John Bosco's Biographical Memoirs by St. John Bosco Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II by George Weigel Also on The Forum The Art of Teaching: On Forming Contemplative Souls with Rich Moss Developing Your Son's Will with Andy Reed The Freedom to Form Bonds: Kevin Majeres on Mindfulness and Attention with Dr. Kevin Majeres The Talk and Beyond with Michael Moynihan

In this episode, we feature a recorded lecture given by Rich Moss in his introductory presentation at the Art of Teaching conference hosted by The Heights Forum last week. In this talk, Rich explains why teaching is an art, what that art is, and what are the tools utilized by the teaching artist.

Boys love concrete details and, even more, they love when those concrete details form the fabric of a hero's tale. Indeed, as Aristotle himself knew, better than telling adolescents merely about virtue is giving them examples of heroes, for good men are not made in theory, but in practice and boys need to see virtues practiced to be inspired themselves. What better place to turn than an author who has taught generations of leaders, not least of which were our own country's founders. That man is Plutarch and our guide is Tom Cox, one of the architects of the eighth grade core humanities class and current upper school classics teacher. In this episode, Mr. Cox shows why and how we teach Plutarch to our boys. He explains why it is important to find the good even in heroes that are less than saints and helps us understand that education is more than something that merely happens; it requires a boy's freedom. Although heroes may not be saints, they are good starting points. It is perhaps not mere happenstance that Plutarch wrote his biographies as the Evangelists were writing their lives of life's Author. As the Greek philosopher was a master at portraying those little details which form a hero's character, it is the man from Nazareth who teaches us to turn them into heroic verse—and that is the beginning of holiness. Chapters 1:15 How did you find Plutarch? The eighth grade core A biographical approach to history 4:20 Why read Plutarch? A good storyteller An inspiration to Shakespeare 6:10 What does Plutarch tell us about being a good man? The peak of a mountain of tradition Seeing the goodness first: heroes and saints 13:10 What are some of the best lives to take a look at? Alcibiades Mark Antony Publius Cicero Cato the Younger 19:54 Connecting pieces of the curriculum with Plutarch Government and Literature 20:20 Gospels 22:35 On the formation of leaders 24:20 Connecting to the American leadership 28:10 Plutarch and the education of citizens 33:04 Where to start? Alexander the Great and Pompey Brutus and Caesar 36:09 How to teach Plutarch Difficulty of translations A little at a time 38:15 The Plutarch Podcast and Grammaticus.co Additional Resources The Plutarch Podcast Grammaticus.co Lives by Plutarch Also on The Forum Writing and Thought; Oratory and Ethics: What we Give Our 7th Graders in the Core with Tom Cox History the Way It Was… And the Way It Should Be by Mark Grannis Aristotle on the Student's Job by Tom Cox Seneca on the Teacher's Job by Tom Cox

This week on HeightsCast, we feature headmaster Alvaro de Vicente's open house speech on the mission and vision of The Heights School. In the speech, Alvaro helps parents discern the right school for their son. Understanding education to be essentially about partnering with parents to transmit a culture, he encourages parents to thoughtfully consider the culture of our school and how it relates to the culture of their own homes. In addition, Mr. de Vicente offers a few words on our vision of manhood, suggesting that to be a good man, one must also be quite dangerous: powerful enough to do damage, but with the moral character to do great things. Chapters 1:17 How to discern the right school for your son 1:45 Education as transmission of culture 2:46 Our vision 3:20 Dangerously good: what it means to be a man 6:15 Our goal 6:50 How to make this vision a reality 6:57 Partnership with parents 8:35 Growth in virtue 11:40 Model the culture and counsel your sons Additional Resources Against All Hope: A Memoir of Life in Castro's Gulag by Armando Valladares The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Also on The Forum The Man Fully Alive with Alvaro de Vicente Self-Mastery: Alvaro de Vicente on Fostering Interior Freedom in Schools with Alvaro de Vicente Who Am I?: The Question of Persona with Alvaro de Vicente Our Little Protectors: How Do WE See Our Boys? with Alvaro de Vicente Forming Wise, Courageous Risk-Takers with Alvaro de Vicente

This week on HeightsCast, we feature a recording of the 2022 Headmaster's Lecture on the man fully alive. In this lecture, Mr. Alvaro de Vicente helps us understand what we mean when we use St. Irenaeus' oft-quoted though seldom understood words that gloria Dei est vivens homo: the glory of God is living man. Mr. de Vicente shares his thoughts on the destination and the road ahead, suggesting that to live fully on earth we must understand that the fullness of life is found only in heaven. And if we are to reach this destination which is our destiny, we should see this life as practice for the next. In particular, he offers three actions that are the best practice for heaven: To play To see To commit Taking us through each of these, Mr. de Vicente helps us to approach life in a playful way, taking ourselves lightly and others seriously; to discover the beauty of the world, contemplating with loving eyes and a grateful heart; and to commit fully, passionately persevering in our love for others. Our boys will not live these ideals perfectly—we will not live them perfectly—but if together we begin and begin again often, we will be well on the way; and that will be a taste of heaven. Chapters 2:43 Origins of the tagline "Men fully alive" 4:01 Man fully alive: what does this mean? 4:14 Common notions 5:18 Man as the masterpiece of God 7:56 What is man? 9:01 Crisis of masculinity: either brutes or wimps 9:45 Life on earth as a preparation for heaven 11:07 What is heaven? 12:36 Practice for heaven 13:16 A man with a mission 16:31 To play 16:33 Physical play 19:06 Approaching life in a playful way 22:31 A game with two halves 26:09 To see 27:56 Blindness as an illness of the soul 29:36 The Little Prince and our inability to see beauty 30:54 When the truth complicates my life 32:48 Who you are and what you are here for 33:32 On contemplation 34:36 Finding beauty 36:47 Life as a museum 37:21 Seeing with the mind's eye 39:41 Seeing with the heart 41:33 To commit 42:11 The man in a wheelchair 43:40 Closing doors 45:20 On the passions 48:01 Commitment is different from a self-help book 48:41 Screwtape on love and marriage 51:58 Faithfulness over time is the name of love (Benedict XVI) 52:41 The danger of overcommitting 54:26 Conclusion Also on The Forum Foundations of Hope: Raising Optimistic Men Fully Alive with Alvaro de Vicente The Education of "Men Fully Alive": The Mission and Vision of The Heights with Alvaro de Vicente Who Am I?: The Question of Persona with Alvaro de Vicente Our Little Protectors: How Do WE See Our Boys? with Alvaro de Vicente Forming Wise, Courageous Risk-Takers with Alvaro de Vicente In Defense of Victory by Kyle Blackmer Additional Resources Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus

In this week's episode, we discuss science fiction with Mr. Joe Breslin, fifth grade teacher and soon-to-be published author of Other Minds: 13 Tales of Wonder and Sorrow. Surveying the wide umbrella of literature and film termed "sci-fi," Mr. Breslin helps us understand what makes this genre of literature valuable, interesting, and beautiful. As Mr. Breslin explains, science fiction done well offers a celebration of the human person, showing us in often strange ways what is possible for us as thinking beings. Moreover, by removing us from the humdrum of our ordinary lives and instilling a sense of awe as we experience another world, science fiction can provide new insights into old problems, helping us rediscover the wonder of our own everyday lives. And this is often much needed–for although our world may never be lacking in wonders, we may at times find our weary selves lacking in the wonder to see it. Chapters 1:40 What is science fiction? 2:20 Science fiction vs. fantasy 4:30 Kinds of science fiction Space opera Hard sci-fi Dystopia Post-apocalyptic Steampunk Military Horror Classic 11:30 Insights from different genres 13:03 Personal favorites of Mr. Breslin 16:10 Why is science fiction valuable? 17:37 Perception vs. reality 18:27 Anthropology through another lens 19:19 Science fiction as a humanistic kind of literature 22:13 Challenges of writing science fiction 28:45 Mr. Breslin's own writing 30:30 A common thread: strange encounters 32:32 Self-publishing 34:35 Good fiction infused with Faith 38:38 Why read science fiction? 40:25 A caveat: the danger of focusing on man under a single aspect 42:43 Literature: utility and enjoyment 44:50 Learn more about Mr. Breslin's work Also on The Forum Modern Literature: On Curating the Contemporary with Michael Ortiz Guiding Our Boys through Modern Literature with Joe Breslin and Lionel Yaceczko Exploring and Expressing the Human Condition through Literature with Michael Ortiz Forum Reviews Additional Resources Joey Breslin Writes, Mr. Breslin's writing website

From the boys' choir in the lower school to the men's chorus in the upper school, informal performances at faculty dinners to songs at the annual Maryland Day Gala, singing echoes throughout the whole of The Heights experience. This week, we sit down with Mr. Patrick Love, music teacher at The Heights since 2004, to discuss not only when and where we sing at The Heights but why we love to sing so much. As you'll hear, singing—broadly understood—is at the heart of our school's mission. Cantare amantis est, St. Augustine tells us: singing belongs to the one who loves. And as Arthur Clutton-Brock wrote, "education ought to teach us how to be in love always and what to be in love with." In educating our boys to become men fully alive, then, we are ultimately helping them to love, to find their voice, and to fall in love with One who sings them into existence. Chapters 3:40 Where does singing happen at The Heights? 4:30 A musical history of The Heights 8:00 Where does singing happen amongst the faculty? 12:27 What motivates us to sing? Why do we sing? 13:45 Only the lover sings 15:30 From The Magician's Nephew 18:40 Singing: the real deal 21:00 Love, education, and singing at the crossroads 22:23 Fr. Luigi Giussani and the CL Songbook 23:30 Singing in the home 25:28 John Senior 29:45 Cal Newport on technology fasts 31:10 On iTunes 32:46 Singing in the homeroom: teaching as singing 39:00 Singing and silence Also on The Forum Leisure and Acedia: R.J. Snell on Contemplative Homes in a Frenetic Age with R.J. Snell Digital Minimalism: Creating a Philosophy of Personal Technology Use with Cal Newport What Is the Difference between Free Time and Leisure? by Joe Bissex Fall Poems We Love to Memorize by Tom Cox Additional Resources Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper The Risk of Education: Discovering Our Ultimate Destiny by Fr. Luigi Giussani The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior Education at the Crossroads by Jacques Maritain The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

This week on HeightsCast we talk with upper school head, Michael Moynihan, about a new initiative of his on the Forum: the Initiative for the Renewal of Science Education. In the episode, Michael discusses the need for a new synthesis in the liberal arts, combining the best of modern science with the wisdom of ages. In particular, he explains how the recent tendency in science education to begin with theory and then proceed to phenomena is unscientific, producing students with a habit of intellectual surrender, rather than the inspiration to become great scientists.

In this week's episode, we talk with headmaster Alavaro de Vicente about a central theme from our faculty workshop: self-mastery. As Alvaro explains, self-mastery is a certain integration of action, words, thoughts, and desires that gives one the interior freedom to not only do the good but to want to do the good. What does this self-mastery look like for teachers, for students, and for parents? How do we help our boys develop self-mastery? What is the role of a school in assisting parents with this great endeavor? As man is not made virtuous in a day, Mr. de Vicente encourages us to think long term. At the same, he reminds us to focus on the little things, those small, daily realities where aspiration becomes actuality. In particular, he suggests dress code, punctuality, and language as three battlefields on which we can wage war alongside our sons—not against them—as they grow in interior freedom. Self-mastery, Alvaro explains, is not about mastering the world or others. It is rather about mastery of oneself so as to be able to steward the little piece of creation which the Creator has given us. For some, this may be a team. For others, it could be a whole company or even a country. For most, this will be a family, for whom the father has a special kind of care—a care which is best lived out when he recognizes that he is both a father and the Father's son. Chapters 0:57 What is self-mastery? 2:30 The role of the school in developing self-mastery of students 5:00 Practical advice for developing self-mastery in students 6:23 Dress code 9:35 Punctuality 10:30 Language 13:12 School tone and self-mastery 14:54 Advice for teachers 15:45 Armando Valladares and interior freedom 19:20 Trusting our students 22:52 John Henry Cardinal Newman and the education of boys 23:30 Two applications of Newman's educational philosophy 26:45 Self-mastery and the order of creation 30:00 Living life to the fullest: how self-mastery can help us enjoy life more 31:15 Advice for parents 35:20 Implementing change in the home 39:38 Stories from Alvaro's upbringing 42:20 Recommended reading 43:50 A question to spark discussion Also on The Forum Respectful Dominion: Colin Gleason on Discipline with Colin Gleason Learn to Turn: Tom Royals on Parental Prudence with Tom Royals Manners: The Art of Happiness by Robert Greving Why My Computer Science Students Should Master the Guitar by George Martin Training the Hand to Train the Mind by Robert Greving Additional Resources A Catholic Eton? Newman's Oratory School by Paul Shrimpton Against All Hope: A Memoir of Life in Castro's Gulag by Armando Valladares

In this week's episode we discuss fights. Most boys, especially at a young age, have a beautiful need for rough and tumble physical play. But what happens when it's not play? What happens when egos are insulted and the fists go up? Or when there's an unjust aggression? At what point is a young lad–or an older one–justified in puttin' up his dukes? Teacher and Coach, Kyle Blackmer, gives us some points for consideration as we coach our sons on the use of physical force. In the end, this is another one of those areas where parents–most often, but not always, dad–are the primary educators of boys learning the proper employment of one of God's great gifts: their strength.