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 participants to see their work as shaping not only the intellect but the whole person. As Joe Cardenas, Head of Mentoring, explained, the teacher’s vocation ultimately aims to cooperate with grace in completing the work of creation.
Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente opened the conference with a keynote address framing education as the transmission of culture. His talk explored the dominant cultural influences shaping today’s students and offered strategies for mitigating negative impacts—without isolating students from the world they will inevitably engage in both their professional and personal lives. You can watch his complete lecture here.
The closing keynote was delivered by Dr. John Cuddeback, a professor of philosophy at Christendom College. Dr. Cuddeback emphasized the critical role of male teachers in inspiring and mentoring boys, helping them grow into devoted fathers, men of character, and articulate defenders of the true, good, and beautiful.
Equally important to the formal sessions were the meals and informal interactions, which infused the event with a spirit of camaraderie. Attendees frequently remarked in their testimonials that these moments of fellowship renewed their sense of vocation and mission. Reflecting The Heights’ culture, the second evening’s dinner featured poetic and musical performances that added to this sense of joyful camaraderie.
In addition to the teacher-focused sessions, the conference offered a parallel track for school leaders. Sixteen administrators participated in these discussions, including ten fellows from the year-long Leaders Initiative program.
