HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

We've all been there. A boy in your care looks earnestly into your eyes, rabid with excitement; he's found a critter and he wants to catch it. What do you do? Eric Heil, Lower School Natural History teacher, offers his thoughts on how to guide our sons to both handle and appreciate the creatures they encounter in the wild.

We are a liberal arts school, but we embrace contemporary literature that leads our students to the good, the true, and the beautiful. Not all of it does, though. And, even those moderns that are positively formational often accomplish by leaning, in some way, on the older great authors of the older great books. Contrary to the notion that we are hiding great moderns from our students, we are, instead, curating a selection of books that liberates the mind in the tradition of the liberal arts. How do we pick our moderns? Why do we still favor the classics? Listen in to learn why from a man with over 30 years of experience teaching at The Heights.

Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, joins us for a conversation about college that will benefit students, parents, and teachers. He challenges the assumption that every prep school grad should attend college right away at any cost, and he offers fantastic insights about the entire college experience–from college choice, to choice of majors, to engagement with students and faculty who think differently.

Our students and sons start learning the moment they set foot on campus. Every time we greet a boy in the hallway, we are teaching him. Every time we are late to class, we are teaching him. Tone is a powerful teacher, and Alvaro de Vicente shares his thoughts on how to foster a positive tone, both at school and at home. Your students will forget 90% of what you teach them, but will likely recall 90% of the tone you set. For schools, and school leaders, a good tone is both obligation and opportunity. Listen in to hear how to make the most of it.

Tom Longano spends an episode unpacking his recent webinar on how to anchor summer reading in leisure. Can a 3rd grader actually achieve this? Yes. How? Listen in. You might pick up a tip or two for your own reading as well.

Don't just make your son read to "get it done"; nurture his desire to read for living!

Happy summer, and if you'd like to view the webinar, click here.

Heights teacher, Joe Breslin, discusses the problems with the contemporary approach to writing, and offers his strategy for raising craftsmen of letters. By turning your classroom into a workshop, you can engage your boys and train them in the arts of observation and effective communication.

Lower School Head Colin Gleason continues a discussion with Tom Cox and Austin Hatch on Prudence, as presented by Josef Pieper. Often we understand this virtue as nothing more than a cunning tactic, when in reality, prudence is far more. The virtue encompasses a capacity for silence, a understanding of reality, and an ability to make right decisions. Prudence is a virtue for the magnanimous. Listen in to learn more.