HeightsCast

How many of us wondered at some point in our lives: "Should I go to law school?" It's a common question as one approaches college graduation. Students find themselves on that "moving walkway" toward the future: it will go forward, but at which stop should they get off? How can they pick a path on purpose—and not due to momentum? Heights upper school teacher Mark Grannis spent decades practicing law, even co-founding his own DC firm. Knowing many lawyers, one-day lawyers, and would-have-been lawyers in every stage of professional development, he noticed some patterns of discernment that genuinely helped people decide whether the law vocation was for them. This spring, he released Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know, a guide that addresses law in particular and professional/vocational discernment in general. Mr. Grannis encourages people considering any career vocation to take stock of their academic and emotional talents, imagining where those can best be applied for the benefit of others. Chapters: 00:03:29 The genesis of the book 00:06:51 Grannis's professional background 00:11:54 What a lawyer really does 00:15:33 Seeing career in vocational terms 00:19:50 Three lawyer temperaments: past, present, and future 00:24:23 Bad reasons to go to law school 00:26:33 The one good reason 00:29:10 Three questions for vocational discernment 00:33:20 The infinite, imaginative possibilities of work 00:39:42 AI and the future of law 00:43:47 Choosing a law school—or not Links: Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know by Mark Grannis Logic Lectures, online lectures featuring Mark Grannis The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life by Mark Grannis The Reasonable Person: Teacher Supplement by Mark Grannis The Three Key Questions featuring Fr. Michael Himes Also on the Forum: A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Cop Walk Into a Boys School featuring Rob Liotta, Mark Grannis, and Josue Zelaya on the Forum Faculty Podcast Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options featuring Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente Logic: On Forming the Reasonable Person featuring Mark Grannis Logic and the Reasonable Person by Mark Grannis Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

This year's Heights Forum Art of Teaching Boys Conference brought together motivated educators from across the country (and beyond) to discuss a new vision for boys' education. The overwhelming follow-up questions: How can I craft and communicate a new vision back at my school? How does a school community grow united in its vision and sense of mission? This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente offers his advice, first, for building a substantial and specific vision, and second, for translating that vision into action as a school community. In the notes below, you can find recordings of Open House speeches featuring our headmaster across the years. These are practical examples of how Mr. de Vicente presents the vision, mission, and approach of The Heights School to prospective parents. Chapters: 3:31 School vision: the who 8:08 Mission and curriculum: the what 11:29 Approach: the how 12:30 Sharing vision with the parent community 17:28 Vision architects: head of school, board, veteran faculty 20:45 When vision meets enrollment realities 25:05 Heads of school: pray, read, build friendships 31:47 Getting specific with your vision 35:53 Responding to national conversations in education Speeches on Vision by Alvaro de Vicente: Open House 2023 Open House 2022 Open House 2021 Open House 2019 Also on the Forum: The Man Fully Alive: On Our Vision, an extended lecture featuring Alvaro de Vicente Education and the Transmission of Culture by Nate Gadiano Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

"Something old, something new, something red white and blue." The American Book of Fables is Dr. Matthew Mehan and artist John Folley's latest children's book—or, rather, family book—presented for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It offers a delightful education in civics, geography, history, and love of country by combining the American founding documents, short poetry, new and ancient fables, and whimsical oil paintings all mapped to the American landscape. This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Mehan shares the ideas behind the book's creation and what he hopes "littles, middles, and bigs" can all come to appreciate through a layered work like this. Chapters: 3:01 Picture books and the role of the poet 8:21 A family book for littles, middles, and bigs 13:18 What's in the book 18:19 Fables: training your "good mother wit" 23:46 Hugh Manatee and humanity 28:33 John Folley's illustrations 30:55 The American city 34:49 The current discourse on duty 36:47 Presenting founding documents to kids 41:37 Celebrate America250 as a family 48:26 Despair and hope 56:00 Book launch events 58:45 Excerpt: "American Morning" Links: The American Book of Fables by Matthew Mehan The Handsome Little Cygnet by Matthew Mehan Mr. Mehan's Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals by Matthew Mehan National WWI Memorial, sculpture by Sabin Howard, installed 2024 Catholic Information Center Event with the Author, Washington, DC / livestream available – June 30, 2026 The American Book of Fables Website – Sophia Institute Press, for future book launch events Also on the Forum: Patriotism and Piety: Honoring Founders and Fathers featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan Teaching the American Founding after 250 Years featuring Dr. Matthew Spalding Children's Literature and Human Flourishing: The Handsome Little Cygnet featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan Why Our Politics Need Poetry: Mr. Mehan's Mythical Mammals featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan Imagination: The Raw Material for Thinking featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

As a top cybersecurity expert in the commercial sector, Mark Ryland has spent nearly a decade following the development of AI systems—their possibilities, their risks, and their limits. And he's found reason for measured optimism. At this year's Heights Parents Conference on "AI and Our Sons: Optimism in Uncharted Waters," Mr. Ryland brought a moderating perspective to the podium, sharing his insights into how AI really operates and what kind of impact it may have on the job economy our children will inherit. Chapters: 00:04:41 A recent history of AI 00:10:31 Intelligence: human, animal, and artificial 00:14:15 Brains vs. minds 00:16:55 Incredible possibilities through pattern recognition 00:21:21 AI's dependence, "model collapse" 00:24:49 Expected impact on economy sectors 00:32:47 AI limits: reinforcement learning 00:36:12 AI risks: safety, job loss 00:42:01 Thoughts on the home 00:44:01 Thoughts on the classroom 00:48:07 Catholic chatbots Links: The Mind & The Machine, podcast by Dr. Michael Augros on AI, science, and philosophy Coding after Coders: The End of Computer Programming as We Know It, NYT, March 12, 2026 Why It's Getting Harder to Measure AI Performance by Timothy B. Lee, Understanding AI Substack Attention Is All You Need, seminal paper on generative AI by a Google Team, June 2017 How One Paper Changed Everything, concerning "Attention Is All You Need," Medium, October 10, 2025 Scientists Research Man Missing 90% of His Brain Who Leads a Normal Life, CBC Radio, July 14, 2016 Also on the Forum: The Walled Garden: Critical Considerations for Classroom AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti A Humane Way of Life: The Research Behind Home Tech Decisions featuring Clare Morell

AI tech has come knocking at the classroom door, and schools across the country are rushing to design their AI policies around information that seems to change by the day. At this year's Heights Parents Conference on "AI and Our Sons: Optimism in Uncharted Waters," writer and educator Andrew Cantarutti shared the research and critical analysis necessary for school communities to consider the claims of AI ed-tech. In the end, he says, the question will be how best to raise citizens rather than simply users. Chapters: 00:03:25 Turkish proverb: the trees and the ax 00:04:09 The attention crisis 00:08:46 AI: a different kind of technology 00:14:08 Adolescence and brain architecture 00:15:03 AI knocks on the classroom door 00:17:34 Walled Garden vs. Marketplace Mirror schools 00:21:03 Building AI literacy 00:27:04 AI's personalized education 00:27:47 Benefits of the traditional classroom 00:31:34 Our role as parents 00:34:25 Turkish proverb, decoded Links: The Walled Garden, Andrew Cantarutti's Substack Attention Span by Gloria Mark Empire of AI by Karen Hao Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025 Center for Humane Technology, co-founded by Tristan Harris, former Google employee Also on the Forum: Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti A Humane Way of Life: The Research Behind Home Tech Decisions featuring Clare Morell

A rapid rollout of integrated AI into technology we use everyday brings with it new considerations for our tech policies at home. At this year's Heights Parents Conference on "AI and Our Sons: Optimism in Uncharted Waters," author and public policy researcher Clare Morell shared the latest news and research to inform our digital decisions at home. She points out that, increasingly, the vision we as parents have for our children is in direct competition with the vision big tech has for them. But an active and optimistic posture can help us guide our families toward a more humane way of life. Chapters: 00:04:18 The lay of the digital land 00:08:38 Neuroscience of screens 00:18:56 The myth of parental controls 00:23:22 AI enters the chat 00:32:40 Maturity required to operate 00:35:09 Forming our children: parents and tech companies in competition 00:37:48 Digital detox for your family 00:41:29 A humane way of life: F.E.A.S.T. 00:43:59 Educating children on the harms 00:46:32 Adopting smartphone alternatives 00:48:11 Screen rules and accountability at home 00:50:58 Trading screens for responsibility 00:53:06 Reclaiming human flourishing Links: The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones by Clare Morell The Tech Exit Supplementary Resources by Clare Morell Preserving Our Humanity, Clare Morell's Substack Meta's 'Digital Companions' Will Talk Sex with Users—Even Children, WSJ, April 26, 2025 Meta's AI Rules Let Bots Hold 'Sensual' Chats with Children, Reuters, August 14, 2025 AI Tutors for Kids Gave Fentanyl Recipes and Dangerous Diet Advice, Forbes, May 12, 2025 Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025 Sexting with Gemini, The Atlantic, July 14, 2025 The Social Dilemma, ages 12+, docudrama explaining tech company motivations, 2020 Also on the Forum: The Tech Exit: How Smartphones Undermine Our Parenting—and How to Reverse Course featuring Clare Morell

Saving civilization well may begin with eye contact, a tucked shirt, a sincere apology, or a held door. For the dispositions we have toward the little things truly train our sense of human dignity. In his new book, The Apostolate of Courtesy, middle school Latin and language arts teacher Rob Greving follows in the footsteps of St. Francis de Sales. His book offers a defense of civility for the sake of the soul, followed by a practical guide to many of life's social situations. From table manners to small talk to handling interruptions, our manner affects the temper of the world. And "when I have courtesy," Mr. Greving writes, "I am not lowering myself but raising myself to the dignity of Christ." Chapters: 2:10 Mr. Greving's influences 5:46 Courtesy and civilization 10:53 The medium of apologetics: us! 13:56 St. Francis de Sales: the gentleman saint 19:09 Manners at home 26:05 Handling interruptions well 31:24 Parents and teachers as the example 39:28 The art of apology 42:37 Courtesy in the classroom Links: The Apostolate of Courtesy: How to Save Souls and Change the World through the Power of Manners by Robert Greving Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior by George Washington Also on the Forum: Manners: The Art of Happiness by Robert Greving On Manners: The "ABCs" of Virtue featuring Colin Gleason Enjoying Our Children and Why It's Important featuring Alvaro de Vicente Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026)

How have we allowed such a daring story as the American founding to become so flat? A history lesson so simple, tidy, and inevitable that it can be covered in one day's class? Dr. Matthew Spalding, dean of Hillsdale's Van Andel Graduate School of Government, wants to revive the living story of the American founding—and the Declaration of Independence, in particular. Calling it our nation's "epic poem," he sees in this document as a layered poetic, philosophical, and practical work of the American Mind. This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Spalding invites educators (and everyday citizens) to understand our nation's founding as so much more than just "an Enlightenment experiment." Chapters: 00:03:04 "The American Mind" in 1776 00:08:36 A better definition of patriotism 00:10:57 Declaration of Independence: our epic poem 00:14:43 How and why we teach history 00:16:36 Founding influences: more than the Enlightenment 00:21:46 The American synthesis 00:26:40 "Pursuit of happiness" in context 00:29:22 Why the founding narrative is mistold 00:38:06 New surprises in old studies 00:41:32 Finding common ground today Links: Dr. Matthew Spalding, Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Hillsdale College The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence by Matthew Spalding We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future by Matthew Spalding The Founders' Almanac: A Practical Guide to the Notable Events, Greatest Leaders, and Most Eloquent Words of the American Founding by Matthew Spalding Also on the Forum: On the Importance of History, Part I featuring Dr. Matthew Spalding Why Arguments Make History by Mark Grannis Keeping the Story in History by Mark Grannis Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026)

Why tell the truth when it doesn't always pay? It's important to let boys encounter this question through example, literature, and enough freedom to wrestle with his own conscience. In this rebroadcast of a 2017 talk, Head of Lower School Colin Gleason admits that you can't "teach" integrity with drills and facts. But you can create an environment that encourages it to develop. We have to push past consequentialism and avoid the adult instinct to root out the facts at any cost. Because the truth is a good and natural thing; the boy needs only to embrace it. Chapters: 3:12 Dishonesty: from toddlers to adults 5:51 Examples of integrity 10:04 Defining integrity, and whether we can teach it 13:36 Getting past "consequence" ethics 22:14 Homes and schools where integrity can take root 24:47 Trust: the power of relationship 33:47 Freedom: their own initiative 38:37 Friendship: ready to guide and help 45:03 Dishonesty from fear, honesty from confidence Links: Jeremy Affeldt repaid the Giants $500,000 after clerical error, CBS Sports, May 15, 2013 "Sportsman" Roddick falls in Rome, The Seattle Times, May 6, 2005 Also on the Forum: The Truth Shall Set You Free by Alvaro de Vicente Lying to Dumbledore: On Moral Consequentialism in Children's Literature featuring Joe Breslin and Tom Cox Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026)

Could creativity and intellectual freedom actually depend on the rote? Following up on his recent article for the Forum, math teacher Dave Maxham dives into why fundamentals and drills are integral to creativity—not hindrances. Between the "drill and kill" and the "free inquiry" camps lies the golden mean: an understanding that mastery and even delight in the basics allows for real, nimble handling of creative problems. Chapters: 3:19 Defining automaticity, creativity 7:09 The automatic enables the creative 15:14 Returning to basics, overcoming boredom 19:14 Struggle and humility bear fruit 24:05 Mastery and the intrinsic payoff 27:24 Model delight in your subject 35:13 With low standards, high expectations 42:25 The goals of homework 47:58 Cover less material, emphasize process 55:45 Letting them work it out Links: Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton (see chapter 4, "The Ethics of Elfland") Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanation and Explicit Teaching by Zach Groshnell The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning—And How to Help Them Thrive Again by Jared Cooney Horvath Also on the Forum: Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti Mathematics: The Lost Liberal Art featuring Dave Maxham The Math Problem: Tackling the "I'm Terrible at Math" Mentality featuring Dave Maxham Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) – link coming soon The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026)

What do our children need most from us in the unsteady years of middle school? First, says Head of Middle School Andy Reed, they need our availability. But making ourselves fully and honestly available runs contrary to so many modern patterns of life, from work demands and short schedules to the ever-tempting screen. In fact, Mr. Reed calls it the Mount Everest of Modern Parenting: replacing frenetic patterns with quiet, contemplative patterns for our own mental management, so that we can be available to the boy who needs us at unexpected times. Chapters: 1:35 Middle school's rough reputation 6:39 A boy in search of his role 9:30 Attention shouldn't be sourced in worry 11:44 How to trust the boy 22:54 A family culture of availability 26:27 Parenting spectrum: from buddy to manager 28:57 The golden mean: accompaniment 31:13 Quiet patterns over frenetic ones 42:28 How to deliver advice Also on the Forum: Parenting: Patience or Optimism featuring Andrew Reed There Is No Manual by Alvaro de Vicente What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about The Male Brain by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti Educating Leaders with Thomas More featuring Dr. Stephen Smith Featured Opportunities: Parents' Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) – link coming soon The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon

Today, we have an increasing store of research to evaluate the claims of educational tech. Where does it assist or upend our goals as a school? Where does it support or bypass our students' intellectual sovereignty? Can it be used constructively? This week on HeightsCast, writer and educator Andrew Cantarutti shares with us the research on digital tools, and especially AI, in K-12 education. In passionate detail, he also lays out how a school can cultivate the habits of attention by its curriculum, pedagogy, character, and even the physical school building. Chapters: 3:05 Cantarutti's background 5:27 The lay of the digital land in education 8:38 Attention: a capacity that can grow—and shrink 12:35 A school's mission and the habits of attention 20:08 School schedules, school spaces 23:35 Four cognitive skills for your lesson plans 34:14 The research on AI and education 38:47 Teachers' AI use 43:26 Constructive ways to engage with AI 50:47 Whether you can teach critical thinking 53:26 Promises of AI vs. the goals of education 58:05 Rethinking the structure of class time Links: The Walled Garden, Andrew Cantarutti's Substack Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect, Brookings Institute report, January 14, 2026 Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025 Instructional Illusions by Paul Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films, The Atlantic, January 30, 2026 Alpha School: AI-Driven Education Coming to a School Near You, The New York Times, July 27, 2025 Also on the Forum: ChatGPT Holds These Truths to be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis AI and the Take-Home Essay featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan The Freedom to Form Bonds: Mindfulness and Attention featuring Kevin Majeres Digital Minimalism: Creating a Philosophy of Personal Technology Use featuring Cal Newport Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon

Volume, pitch, pace, tone, inflection: the human voice is our primary teaching instrument. The spoken word has not just a logos and an ethos but an embodied and personal quality—which comes with enormous advantages. This week, twenty-five-year Heights veteran Tom Steenson shares a valuable reflection on the human voice and how we use it in the classroom. He includes many practical examples of how to engage students, express expectations, correct without disruption, and love your students by using your voice with intention. Chapters: 3:11 The humanity of voice 5:14 The science of volume and pitch 6:56 Your reading and teaching voice 9:04 Speech as love, not punishment 10:46 Voice for humor and engagement 13:54 All the advantages of spoken word 16:25 A unique, live meeting of minds 20:26 Control without yelling 27:05 Enjoying your students 30:17 Song and poetry in the classroom 33:04 The value of the voice in-person Links: Teaching the History of Our "Strange New World": The History of Western Thought Course featuring Austin Hatch and Michael Moynihan Also on the Forum: The Ritual of Reading in the Classroom featuring Tom Steenson Classroom Ambience by Joseph Bissex Classroom Tone and Culture featuring Tom Steenson Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon

When we join a school community, it should be to join forces with teachers, administrators, and other families in the "conspiracy for the good" of our children. In this multi-engine partnership, how do parents best play their role as the stewards of their child's whole-person formation? In this rebroadcast from 2022, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente covers the idea of wise, willing, and informed partnership with your children's school; what it really means to the "primary educators"; how a school can be compatible with that philosophy; and the importance of parent friendships. Chapters: 2:56 Entering a school partnership wisely 6:50 Entering the partnership fully 11:57 Parents' task: formation of the whole person 14:06 Ask what the teachers see 15:18 Match school culture with home culture 17:23 Your child's friendships 20:44 Parent friendships 26:39 Parent-teacher collaboration 32:04 When to pick up the phone, and the "conspiracy for good" Also on the Forum: Building Parent-Teacher Rapport featuring Kyle Blackmer On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends featuring Tom Royals Family Culture featuring Alvaro de Vicente Creating a Culture of Learning in the Home by Alvaro de Vicente Parents as Primary Educators by Michael Moynihan Ways to Foster a Family Culture by Alvaro de Vicente

Does a talented person have a duty to serve others? What do leading citizens really need to live well, freely, impactfully—even greatly? How do we, parents and educators, order the educational goods? "When I think of Thomas More's life, writings, and example, I think: here are the materials we need to answer those questions." So says Dr. Stephen Smith, professor at Hillsdale College and co-director for the Center for Thomas More Studies. St. Thomas More not only provided a robust theory of education and duty in his writings, but also a praxis of that education by his heroic actions at the Tower of London in 1535. Dr. Smith joins us this week to discuss how More's life and education can be a pattern for our one-day leading citizens. Chapters: 2:32 The living image of a great man 8:49 More's philosophy of learning 12:50 Virtue in the first place 16:25 Love of good advice 18:48 Leading citizenship: skill and integrity 24:51 Pride as the enemy 29:32 On modern times: "Do not abandon the ship" 35:14 Mentorship: time and attention 46:39 Hope and humor 54:21 Thomas More as a father Links: The Center for Thomas More Studies, featuring video courses, teaching resources, and the written works of Thomas More The Last Riddle: Advice on Living and Dying Well by Stephen Smith, pre-order for June 2026 The Essential Works of Thomas More edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith A Thomas More Sourcebook edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith On Duties by Cicero Thomas More: A Portrait of Courage by Gerard Wegemer "Letter to William Gonell, 1518" by Thomas More Young Thomas More and the Arts of Liberty by Gerard Wegemer "A Dialog of Comfort against Tribulation" by Thomas More "Erasmus on Thomas More" by Erasmus Also on the Forum: Elon Musk and Mother Teresa Schools by Nate Gadiano Teaching the History of our "Strange New World" featuring Michael Moynihan and Austin Hatch Learning for All Seasons: What We Owe to Thomas More by Dr. Matthew Mehan The Arts of Liberty – Part I featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – sold out Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon

"Charity and clarity" are the lodestars when teaching middle school boys with various faith backgrounds—and who are developing faith dispositions of their own. Bill Dardis teaches middle school religion and eighth grade core at The Heights. In his sixteen years of experience, he's navigated many tricky waters with the boys, with the ultimate goal to bring them into a deeper and more engaged relationship with faith. Chapters: 3:19 Inviting boys deeper into their faith 8:17 A religion teacher has to pray 9:16 Following student questions 11:27 Charity: respecting parents' moral authority 12:32 Clarity: commitment to the truth 13:28 Avoiding relativism 17:17 Emphasizing essential questions 18:37 Persuasive common ground 25:21 Seeing the familiar as if for the first time 27:30 One, holy, catholic, and apostolic 31:45 When a student's life situation conflicts with the Catechism 37:59 Loving the job Links: The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton (seeing something familiar as if for the first time) Becoming Greece, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Becoming Rome, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Also on the Forum: Forming Men of Faith by Alvaro de Vicente Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Education: On the Adventure of Truth featuring Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti Leaving Room for the Holy Spirit by Mark Grannis "The Talk": On the Role of Schools and Fathers featuring Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: Fathers Series for Fathers of Current Students at The Heights School (February 2026) The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)

The crisis of meaning among young people gets a lot of press; but a quieter crisis of calling afflicts every generation today. Dr. Arthur Brooks says the causes are the same: not knowing what our life is really and ultimately for. In his talk at The Heights Forum Convivium 2025, Dr. Brooks shares the facts about calling—where neuroscience, psychology, and theology all agree, and how he (finally) found his. He goes on to say that helping young people to discover the true Christian purpose of life and then one's personal calling is the missionary work of teachers. Chapters: 00:04:12 Teaching: a missionary field 00:06:15 Crisis of meaning among the young 00:07:35 Crisis of calling among more than the young 00:14:23 Sanctifying ordinary work 00:18:42 The marshmallow experiment: not all it seems 00:24:40 High achievers with no calling 00:27:55 Three tests for goal setting 00:36:12 Four profiles for career trajectory 00:44:31 Success addiction: when love feels conditional 00:48:33 Arrival fallacy: when the goal doesn't satisfy 00:51:34 Posture of submission to find your calling Links: Arthur Brooks: The Science of Happiness, Work & Life, personal website The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness by Arthur Brooks, pre-order for March 2026 "How to Follow the Right Star" by Arthur Brooks, The Atlantic Also on the Forum: Choosing a College—Or Not featuring Alvaro de Vicente Rethinking College: Why go? How? When? featuring Arthur Brooks Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)

Kevin Twomey is a husband, father, and a principal consultant at Table Group, which specializes in helping executive teams build a work culture that fulfills their people. He brings some of that same expertise to bear when looking at the modern frantic family, and how parents can create intentional patterns that help fulfill their people—the family as a unit and as individuals.

The first images of a "protector" that flash through our minds might be the warrior, the superhero, the movie star physically holding back evil from invading the world…. Our lower school head, Colin Gleason, casts a different vision: the benevolent king, the merciful brother, the knight at vigil in the sanctuary. Yes, our role as fathers is to protect—most often through a steady presence that communicates security to our children. When we do our job well, they can live with confidence. In his talk from the Fatherhood Conference last fall, Colin identified five battlegrounds for establishing this kind of security, most of which are in our own homes. Also on the Forum: The Father as a Guide to the World featuring Michael Moynihan The Father as Presence featuring Andrew Reed Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)

To prepare for Homer, Virgil, Beowulf, the Eddas, and Dante—The Heights begins with Tolkien. In a talk from 2016, former middle school core teacher and current upper school classics teacher Tom Cox defends the place of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in the epic tradition. He then explains why Middle Earth is so uniquely suited to the middle school, using Samwise the Stouthearted as our guide to the heart of a middle school boy. Chapters: 2:46 Rethinking "the middle" 4:01 How LotR prepares boys for upper school 7:57 How LotR meets boys in middle school 12:47 Contrasted with other epics 14:41 Samwise as a middle school model 24:47 Tolkien's lessons for teachers and parents 26:07 Samwise the Stouthearted: earning his epic epithet 31:18 "Bear one another's burdens, fulfill the law of Christ" Links: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien The Iliad by Homer, prose translation by A. S. Kline Plutarch Podcast by Tom Cox Becoming Greece, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Becoming Rome, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Also on the Forum: The Forum Faculty Podcast hosted by Tom Cox The Hope of Hobbits and the Despair of Denethor by Tom Cox Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)