Our Mission
The Heights Forum is a department of The Heights School. We assist parents, school leaders, and teachers in their own efforts to educate boys into men fully alive. Through in-person and digital resources we share our experience in forming the hearts and minds of boys, and invite you to join the conversation.
2024 Art of Teaching Conference Welcomes 55 Educators to Campus
Last week, The Heights welcomed 55 educators to campus for its second bi-annual Art of Teaching Conference. The participants came from 12 states, as well as Canada, Portugal, and Mexico. Designed primarily for new teachers, the conference focused on essential pillars of education, including classroom management and discipline, pedagogy, and teaching methodologies. Sessions introduced attendees to The Heights School’s philosophy and vision of education—an approach that seeks to engage students as active agents in their own learning. A session on mentoring expanded the traditional view of a teacher’s role, encouraging...
The Idea of a Catholic University
All the first universities were—St. Thomas Aquinas would tell us—Catholic ones. But in this modern day, it takes intentionality to maintain the rich tradition of Catholic education. In a talk recorded for HeightsCast, Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, president of The Catholic University of America, spoke to families at The Heights about what it means to be a Catholic university. He first consults the experts: Thomas Aquinas, John Henry Newman, John Paul the Great, and Pope Benedict XVI. He then offers examples from his own career in school leadership, and how to...
It’s a Wonderful Life, Really.
By Robert Greving
One of the great Christmas traditions is Frank Capra’s masterful film It’s a Wonderful Life. James Stewart, that most American of actors, plays the lead of George Bailey, an Everyman, a small-town ordinary guy struggling against the deceit, selfishness, and cynicism of a power-broker named Potter. Yet, for all its Americana, I find It’s a Wonderful Life a profound reflection on the teachings of my favorite saint, Francis de Sales, a seventeenth-century French bishop. De Sales lived from 1567 to 1622 and was the titular bishop of Geneva, Switzerland, but...
A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Cop Walk Into a Boys School
In this episode of the Forum Faculty Podcast, middle school teacher Rob Liotta, upper school teacher Mark Grannis, and lower school teacher Josue Zelaya—discuss their transitions from careers in policing, law, and medicine, respectively, to teaching. They share their backstories, motivations for changing careers, and how their previous experiences shape their approach in the classroom. The discussion also dives into the skills they bring into teaching and advice for those considering a similar career switch. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Teacher Podcast 00:10 Meet the Guests: Transitioning to Teaching 01:11 Josue Zelaya: From...