Category: Article

Some tips from a fifth grade teacher at The Heights School about how to help your sons get the best out of their summer vacation!

A colleague recently circulated a link to this article on Adam LaRoche, former Chicago White Sox second baseman, who, when asked by his manager to stop bringing his son to practice, quit the team–and $13 million.  We’ve had a great internal debate about Mr. LaRoche’s decision: on one hand, he quit something he loved to raise his son as he wished.  On the other, perhaps he could have been a better example by going to work and making the most of his talents?  We’ll let you know when we settle this one… likely not for…

As we came near Advent once again, I found myself preparing my students for this liturgical season. I told them that it’s not just “the time leading up to Christmas,” as if it were a mere counting down the days until the Day. The etymology of the word Advent is illustrative: ad means “to,” or “towards,” and venire means “to come.” Hence, Advent is about Someone who is to come to us – it is the season of preparation for the Coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Following my in-class…

Progress reports went out recently and, naturally, this leads to questions about how to improve poor or mediocre performance. Even students that are doing well should not rest on their laurels; the year is young and grades are not an end unto themselves. Homework provides an ideal focal point for parents seeking to improve their boys’ academic performance. Specific and measurable resolutions are possible for young men in all three categories: below average academically, average, and above. Our goal in this post is not to provide the goals necessarily, but…

“Collars buttoned, shirt-tails in, shoes tied before entering my classroom.  Understood?” “Yes, Mr. Moss.” “Please do not use pens for any notes taken, or assignments given in this class.  Pencils only.  Understood?” A brave soul raises his hand:  “Sir, Mr. Gleason has already banned pens from the Valley.”  (i.e., a charitable form of “Obviously, Sir.  This isn’t our first time around the block.”) I love the unity of mission here–it is so much easier to reinforce an already established rule than to introduce a new one into the system.  The Heights is a place…

As the summer comes to an end and the first day of school approaches, here are seven ways to finish strong, and get a great start to the school year!

“Pride”;  “I bleed [insert mascot and color]”; “I am [insert school or adjective]”; “I will”–and the list of t-shirt slogans we see around campus goes on. Of course, there’s nothing intrinsically evil about these slogans, but we should think on them. The not-so-subliminal messages are an important element of a multibillion-dollar clothing and marketing industry that is working, deliberately and with great sophistication, to shape (some might say, claim) your son’s self-identity. UA, Nike, and the rest of them want your son to identify primarily as… drum roll, please: “ATHLETE.”  For, if…

My great-grandfather gave my grandfather his first rifle, a single-shot .22, for his eighth Christmas. Age nine earned Grandpa full responsibility over the family’s 80 x 150 ft. vegetable garden. By age 10, Grandpa was taking his flat-bottomed rowboat out on the Mississippi.  These are great experiences for a young man, and they lead to creativity, toughness, and a host of other wonderful traits, perhaps most important among which are independence and responsibility. Risk free? No. Positive for my grandfather and his descendents? Absolutely. Sadly, many of these experiences just aren’t…

Over the summer I picked up a book from the freshman summer reading list that had been confronting me since I came home to The Heights a few years ago.  Quo Vadis:  the mere mention of the title strikes fear into the heart of many a student during the happy-go-lucky days of freshman summer.  I jest… sort of.  I think mostly this reaction is due to the shear length of the book; I’ve been there; I understand. Anyway, I took it on to experience what the troops are going through….