Dr. Robert Jackson, the first long-standing headmaster of The Heights School, used to say that education was about transmitting a culture. He was not alone in such a view. T. S. Eliot, for instance, wrote that “the purpose of education […] is to transmit a culture” (Christianity and Culture, 172). Chesterton put it a different, though similar, way: “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another” (G. K. Chesterton, “Small Property and Government”). Pope St. John Paul II – a man whose...

Our students and sons start learning the moment they set foot on campus. Every time we greet a boy in the hallway, we are teaching him. Every time we are late to class, we are teaching him. Tone is a powerful teacher, and Alvaro de Vicente shares his thoughts on how to foster a positive tone, both at school and at home. Your students will forget 90% of what you teach them, but will likely recall 90% of the tone you set. For schools, and school leaders, a good tone...

Heights students are given the freedom to choose their outfits, so long as they adhere to the dress code. What are the virtues that our boys can build by dressing well, and how can we as teachers bring that growth about, one half-widsor and tucked in shirt at at time? Listen in to hear Mr. Joel Sellier address all of these questions in this episode of HeightsCast.

Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente addresses freedom and smart phones. These devices can be incredible tools, but only if used with a proper sense of self-mastery. Is there an age when boys are ready and can be deemed to have the necessary self-mastery? Though we are thoroughly skeptical of the high school age, there are no hard and fast answers to that question. Regardless, our headmaster is able to offer some helpful factors to consider.

Heights boys enjoy three recesses daily in the Lower School. It’s not just a chance to stretch their legs. To the contrary, recess is viewed as a class here. Our boys learn toughness, prudence, and how to evaluate risks. Listen in to learn more about the benefits of unstructured free play, and how you can bring this practice to your home or school… ideally both, because what we do at home affects our son’s experience at school.

From the very start, the founders of The Heights understood education to consist in the communication of a culture. As culture often enters a boy’s mind through his senses, an important means of this transmission is the art and architecture of a school. Indeed, in many ways buildings embody the ideals of an institution.  This week Joe Cardenas, head of mentoring and long-time art history teacher, joins us for a conversation on the importance of beauty in education. Rooting the conversation in the American tradition, Joe helps us see why...