Category: HeightsCast

Interested in attending the next Teaching Vocation Conference? Register here. “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…

 “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…

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…

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…

“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…

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…