HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

Saving civilization well may begin with eye contact, a tucked shirt, a sincere apology, or a held door. For the dispositions we have toward the little things truly train our sense of human dignity.

In his new book, The Apostolate of Courtesy, middle school Latin and language arts teacher Rob Greving follows in the footsteps of St. Francis de Sales. His book offers a defense of civility for the sake of the soul, followed by a practical guide to many of life's social situations. From table manners to small talk to handling interruptions, our manner affects the temper of the world. And "when I have courtesy," Mr. Greving writes, "I am not lowering myself but raising myself to the dignity of Christ."

2:10 Mr. Greving's influences

5:46 Courtesy and civilization

10:53 The medium of apologetics: us!

13:56 St. Francis de Sales: the gentleman saint

19:09 Manners at home

26:05 Handling interruptions well

31:24 Parents and teachers as the example

39:28 The art of apology

42:37 Courtesy in the classroom

The Apostolate of Courtesy: How to Save Souls and Change the World through the Power of Manners by Robert Greving

Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis

Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior by George Washington

Manners: The Art of Happiness by Robert Greving

On Manners: The "ABCs" of Virtue featuring Colin Gleason

Enjoying Our Children and Why It's Important featuring Alvaro de Vicente

Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026)

Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026)

How have we allowed such a daring story as the American founding to become so flat? A history lesson so simple, tidy, and inevitable that it can be covered in one day's class?

Dr. Matthew Spalding, dean of Hillsdale's Van Andel Graduate School of Government, wants to revive the living story of the American founding—and the Declaration of Independence, in particular. Calling it our nation's "epic poem," he sees in this document as a layered poetic, philosophical, and practical work of the American Mind. This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Spalding invites educators (and everyday citizens) to understand our nation's founding as so much more than just "an Enlightenment experiment."

00:03:04 "The American Mind" in 1776 00:08:36 A better definition of patriotism 00:10:57 Declaration of Independence: our epic poem 00:14:43 How and why we teach history 00:16:36 Founding influences: more than the Enlightenment 00:21:46 The American synthesis 00:26:40 "Pursuit of happiness" in context 00:29:22 Why the founding narrative is mistold 00:38:06 New surprises in old studies 00:41:32 Finding common ground today

Dr. Matthew Spalding, Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Hillsdale College

The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence by Matthew Spalding

We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future by Matthew Spalding

The Founders' Almanac: A Practical Guide to the Notable Events, Greatest Leaders, and Most Eloquent Words of the American Founding by Matthew Spalding

On the Importance of History, Part I featuring Dr. Matthew Spalding

Why Arguments Make History by Mark Grannis

Keeping the Story in History by Mark Grannis

Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026)

Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026)

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.

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

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

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

Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026)

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.

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

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

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

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)

What do our children need most from us in the unsteady years of middle school? First, says Head of Middle School Andy Reed, they need our availability.

But making ourselves fully and honestly available runs contrary to so many modern patterns of life, from work demands and short schedules to the ever-tempting screen. In fact, Mr. Reed calls it the Mount Everest of Modern Parenting: replacing frenetic patterns with quiet, contemplative patterns for our own mental management, so that we can be available to the boy who needs us at unexpected times.

1:35 Middle school's rough reputation

6:39 A boy in search of his role

9:30 Attention shouldn't be sourced in worry

11:44 How to trust the boy

22:54 A family culture of availability

26:27 Parenting spectrum: from buddy to manager

28:57 The golden mean: accompaniment

31:13 Quiet patterns over frenetic ones

42:28 How to deliver advice

Parenting: Patience or Optimism featuring Andrew Reed

There Is No Manual by Alvaro de Vicente

What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about The Male Brain by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

Educating Leaders with Thomas More featuring Dr. Stephen Smith

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) – link coming soon

Today, we have an increasing store of research to evaluate the claims of educational tech. Where does it assist or upend our goals as a school? Where does it support or bypass our students' intellectual sovereignty? Can it be used constructively?

This week on HeightsCast, writer and educator Andrew Cantarutti shares with us the research on digital tools, and especially AI, in K-12 education. In passionate detail, he also lays out how a school can cultivate the habits of attention by its curriculum, pedagogy, character, and even the physical school building.

3:05 Cantarutti's background

5:27 The lay of the digital land in education

8:38 Attention: a capacity that can grow—and shrink

12:35 A school's mission and the habits of attention

20:08 School schedules, school spaces

23:35 Four cognitive skills for your lesson plans

34:14 The research on AI and education

38:47 Teachers' AI use

43:26 Constructive ways to engage with AI

50:47 Whether you can teach critical thinking

53:26 Promises of AI vs. the goals of education

58:05 Rethinking the structure of class time

The Walled Garden, Andrew Cantarutti's Substack

Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect, Brookings Institute report, January 14, 2026

Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025

Instructional Illusions by Paul Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal

The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films, The Atlantic, January 30, 2026

Alpha School: AI-Driven Education Coming to a School Near You, The New York Times, July 27, 2025

ChatGPT Holds These Truths to be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis

AI and the Take-Home Essay featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

The Freedom to Form Bonds: Mindfulness and Attention featuring Kevin Majeres

Digital Minimalism: Creating a Philosophy of Personal Technology Use featuring Cal Newport

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) – link coming soon

Volume, pitch, pace, tone, inflection: the human voice is our primary teaching instrument. The spoken word has not just a logos and an ethos but an embodied and personal quality—which comes with enormous advantages.

This week, twenty-five-year Heights veteran Tom Steenson shares a valuable reflection on the human voice and how we use it in the classroom. He includes many practical examples of how to engage students, express expectations, correct without disruption, and love your students by using your voice with intention.

3:11 The humanity of voice

5:14 The science of volume and pitch

6:56 Your reading and teaching voice

9:04 Speech as love, not punishment

10:46 Voice for humor and engagement

13:54 All the advantages of spoken word

16:25 A unique, live meeting of minds

20:26 Control without yelling

27:05 Enjoying your students

30:17 Song and poetry in the classroom

33:04 The value of the voice in-person

Teaching the History of Our "Strange New World": The History of Western Thought Course featuring Austin Hatch and Michael Moynihan

The Ritual of Reading in the Classroom featuring Tom Steenson

Classroom Ambience by Joseph Bissex

Classroom Tone and Culture featuring Tom Steenson

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) – link coming soon

When we join a school community, it should be to join forces with teachers, administrators, and other families in the "conspiracy for the good" of our children. In this multi-engine partnership, how do parents best play their role as the stewards of their child's whole-person formation?

In this rebroadcast from 2022, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente covers the idea of wise, willing, and informed partnership with your children's school; what it really means to the "primary educators"; how a school can be compatible with that philosophy; and the importance of parent friendships.

2:56 Entering a school partnership wisely 6:50 Entering the partnership fully 11:57 Parents' task: formation of the whole person 14:06 Ask what the teachers see 15:18 Match school culture with home culture 17:23 Your child's friendships 20:44 Parent friendships 26:39 Parent-teacher collaboration 32:04 When to pick up the phone, and the "conspiracy for good"

Building Parent-Teacher Rapport featuring Kyle Blackmer

On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends featuring Tom Royals

Family Culture featuring Alvaro de Vicente

Creating a Culture of Learning in the Home by Alvaro de Vicente

Parents as Primary Educators by Michael Moynihan

Ways to Foster a Family Culture by Alvaro de Vicente

Does a talented person have a duty to serve others? What do leading citizens really need to live well, freely, impactfully—even greatly? How do we, parents and educators, order the educational goods?

"When I think of Thomas More's life, writings, and example, I think: here are the materials we need to answer those questions."

So says Dr. Stephen Smith, professor at Hillsdale College and co-director for the Center for Thomas More Studies. St. Thomas More not only provided a robust theory of education and duty in his writings, but also a praxis of that education by his heroic actions at the Tower of London in 1535. Dr. Smith joins us this week to discuss how More's life and education can be a pattern for our one-day leading citizens.

Chapters:

2:32 The living image of a great man

8:49 More's philosophy of learning

12:50 Virtue in the first place

16:25 Love of good advice

18:48 Leading citizenship: skill and integrity

24:51 Pride as the enemy

29:32 On modern times: "Do not abandon the ship"

35:14 Mentorship: time and attention

46:39 Hope and humor

54:21 Thomas More as a father

Links:

The Center for Thomas More Studies, featuring video courses, teaching resources, and the written works of Thomas More

The Last Riddle: Advice on Living and Dying Well by Stephen Smith, pre-order for June 2026

The Essential Works of Thomas More edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith

A Thomas More Sourcebook edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith

On Duties by Cicero

Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage by Gerard Wegemer

"Letter to William Gonell, 1518" by Thomas More

Young Thomas More and the Arts of Liberty by Gerard Wegemer

"A Dialog of Comfort against Tribulation" by Thomas More

"Erasmus on Thomas More" by Erasmus

Also on the Forum:

Elon Musk and Mother Teresa Schools by Nate Gadiano

Teaching the History of our "Strange New World" featuring Michael Moynihan and Austin Hatch

Learning for All Seasons: What We Owe to Thomas More by Dr. Matthew Mehan

The Arts of Liberty – Part I featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

Featured Opportunities:

The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – sold out

Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026)

Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon

"Charity and clarity" are the lodestars when teaching middle school boys with various faith backgrounds—and who are developing faith dispositions of their own.

Bill Dardis teaches middle school religion and eighth grade core at The Heights. In his sixteen years of experience, he's navigated many tricky waters with the boys, with the ultimate goal to bring them into a deeper and more engaged relationship with faith.

3:19 Inviting boys deeper into their faith

8:17 A religion teacher has to pray

9:16 Following student questions

11:27 Charity: respecting parents' moral authority

12:32 Clarity: commitment to the truth

13:28 Avoiding relativism

17:17 Emphasizing essential questions

18:37 Persuasive common ground

25:21 Seeing the familiar as if for the first time

27:30 One, holy, catholic, and apostolic

31:45 When a student's life situation conflicts with the Catechism

37:59 Loving the job

The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton (seeing something familiar as if for the first time)

Becoming Greece, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox

Becoming Rome, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox

Forming Men of Faith by Alvaro de Vicente

Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Education: On the Adventure of Truth featuring Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

Leaving Room for the Holy Spirit by Mark Grannis

"The Talk": On the Role of Schools and Fathers featuring Michael Moynihan

Fathers Series for Fathers of Current Students at The Heights School (February 2026)

The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)