HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente discusses the importance of "imperfect parenting.' Ours is an age of external perfection, but when our son's fail to achieve the standards we set for them, our own anxiety can be the chief obstacle to our boys' thriving. Emotional presence in an imperfect parent facilitates a child's thriving by subsuming him into that of his mother and father. Hear our headmaster explain the importance of "quantity time," and the internal emotional disposition that can make this time a win, even if imperfectly.

While most professions work on an object which is ultimately transient—a doctor, for example, works to heal the body which will ultimately die, an engineer to design a bridge which will deteriorate over time, an entrepreneur to start a business that will likely persist at most a handful of generations—the object of a teacher's work is a human person, whose ultimate destiny is eternity. His work reverberates not only in this life, but echoes into the life to come. In this way, the work of a teacher is a natural extension of the work of parents, who cooperate with the Creator in not only welcoming souls into their own homes, but in stewarding them back to their heavenly Father's eternal homeland. Indeed, the work of a teacher is essentially an extension of the work of parents, who are the first and primary educators of their children. To explore the ways the vocation of fatherhood harmonizes with the vocation of teaching, this week on HeightsCast we share a lecture given by Tom Steenson at our recent Teaching Vocation Conference. In his talk, Tom discusses the ways that being a teacher helps one to be a better father, as well as the ways being a father helps one become a better teacher.

Dr. Scott Crider of the University of Dallas introduces us to Rhetoric, an art of persuasion that allows our future leaders to lead souls (and themselves) to the good. Dr. Crider discusses the nature of rhetoric, its place in the tradition of liberal learning, its role in a technologically advanced society (and classroom), and how it can be practiced by our students, not only later in life but now, in the context of the academic essay.

In a HeightsCast episode released in September, headmaster Alvaro de Vicente offered guidance for parents on how to understand, interpret, and respond to their sons' grades while also nurturing strong and lasting bonds. This week we welcome Tom Steenson to HeightsCast to discuss grading from the teacher's perspective. Tom offers practical advice to teachers, framing grades as a means to helping students learn, whether they are relatively strong in a subject or struggling through a class. Approaching grading more as an art than a strict science, Mr. Steenson encourages teachers to be realistic without crushing a student and to challenge students to think beyond the grade, helping them find a real joy in learning. Chapters 2:10 Introduction: Grading from a teacher's perspective 3:00 How to think about grades 5:05 Dealing with a strong student 7:45 Should you grade different students differently? 10:53 The grade-monger: Kids who are hyper focused on the grade 14:20 Online gradebooks? 16:20 Practical advice for students struggling with grades 20:00 Grading fairly without crushing the student 21:45 Advice for the art of grading 28:10 Closing thoughts Mentioned in the episode Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

The book of Genesis tells us that God made man ut operaretur—that he may work. Far from a punishment for the Fall, work is an essential part of man's original vocation. Indeed, it is precisely as a craftsman—a tektōn, in the Greek—who does his work well (cf. Mark 6:3) that Jesus was identified in the Gospels. Education, therefore, even a liberal arts education, ought to take into account this important aspect of man's nature. This week on HeightsCast, we welcome John Paul Lechner and Dr. Joseph Haggarty to discuss how a craftsmanship class can fit into the education students receive at a liberal arts school. Both teachers at Sparhawk Academy in Millis, Massachusetts, Lechner and Haggarty explain how students at Sparhawk engage reality through their unique craftsmanship curriculum. They give examples of the ways even their younger students learn to craft meaningful works for their families and community while gaining skills that will serve them for life. Mr. Lechner and Dr. Haggarty help us see the ways craftsmanship class contributes to the formation of these boys so full of energy and budding strength. Chapters 2:25 Introduction 3:10 Origin of Sparhawk's craftsmanship courses 6:15 Craftsmanship in the younger years 7:19 Craftsmanship and the liberal arts 12:30 A brief history of craftsmanship 15:10 The dignity of working with one's hands 16:20 Examples of projects 23:20 Learning to use energy and strength well 26:35 Getting started with craftsmanship Recommended Reading Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford

"I'm a big believer in boredom…. All the [technology] stuff is wonderful, but having nothing to do can be wonderful, too." Thought-provoking words from the man whose company produces one of the most powerful tools for distracting ourselves from any feelings of boredom. Not only Steve Jobs, but seventeenth-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal, too, understood the dangers of perpetual entertainment, the inability to sit alone in a room by oneself. Given the current cultural moment, a particular arena in which children—and, indeed, parents too—need to grow in self-mastery is that of screens and technology. This week on HeightsCast, we feature a talk given by Colin Gleason, head of lower school. First given at last Saturday's Parenting Conference, this talk addresses how parents can foster the interior dispositions their sons will need to use technology well, and not to be used by it. He encourages parents to train their young sons in other arenas in order to prepare for healthy use of technology. Moreover, he speaks to the need for parents to model the virtues they'd like to see, and accompany their boys in a close and intimate relationship once they begin their digital journey. Colin underscores that trust is not merely a result of but rather a means to achieving peace. If parents want their children to grow in virtue, they need to first trust that they can do so; for an intimate and personal relationship provides the proper culture for the growth of virtue. While external guardrails can be helpful and are at times necessary, in the end, virtue will be the best defense against evil and the strongest guarantee of the good. Chapters 3:30 A common sense convention 6:30 Fostering internal guides 9:20 Trust 10:25 Training 11:45 Let him be hungry 15:35 Let him be bored 19:30 Let him stay outside 23:15 Modeling 24:05 Detachment 25:15 Manners 26:00 Establishing an intimate and personal relationship 26:39 Freedom 32:45 Ownership 33:50 Learning from mistakes 34:20 Encouragement 37:50 Trust Missed the conference but don't want to miss out on the content? Check out the Freedom and Technology Collection.

"Man He made to serve Him wittily," said Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, "in the tangle of his mind." To serve God wittily requires an orderly mind, one capable of parsing through truths and falsehoods, able to string together arguments. Thus, the trivium endures: grammar, rhetoric, and logic. To discuss teaching logic to high school students, we welcome to the podcast Mark Grannis, Heights teacher, attorney, father, and author of The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life. In this episode, Mr. Grannis discusses what logic is, why it matters today, and how to teach it. Given man's nature as a rational animal, Mark argues that the study of logic—what he refers to as the art and science of sound reasoning—can improve the daily lives of everyone, regardless of his professional or academic path. Moreover, as social animals, Mark explains how logic can be a powerful means to attaining consensus in the public arena. In a world in which thinking has become an increasingly outsourced ability, learning the art and science of thinking well is perhaps more important than ever. Chapters 2:45 Introduction 3:30 Law and logic: Mark's path to the classroom 5:40 Why (traditional) logic today? 11:30 Symbolic and traditional logic 14:30 Examples of traditional logic 19:00 Practical benefits of logic 22:55 Logic and writing 24:40 Teaching logic to high schoolers 26:40 Why write your own textbooks? 28:40 What's different about The Reasonable Person? Recommended Resources The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life by Mark Grannis Logic and the Reasonable Person by Mark Grannis AI and the Take-Home Essay with Matt Mehan Why a Liberal Arts Education Today? with Michael Moynihan

This episode of HeightsCast features our Headmaster's Open House presentation, in which he shares our vision of education, along with the specific mission and concrete approach this vision animates. As you will hear, the Heights is informed by the timeless, yet vigorously engaged with the present, sinking its roots as a school and community into the soil of the 21st century. The Heights education, rather than seeking escape, strives to strengthen men who will, in turn, preserve, protect, and promote the good that is abundantly present in our modern world.

The real problem for many today is not ADD; it is, rather, what Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente refers to as IDD: intimacy deficit disorder. This problem is even worse for men, who on average have fewer close friends. Studies indicate that the percentage of males who report having at least six close friends has been cut in half since the 1990s. There is, it would seem, a recession in male friendships. While there is no easy panacea for this problem, as with most things, one's education can have a lasting impact on how a child learns—or doesn't learn—to relate to others. This week we feature a recording of the annual Headmaster's Lecture titled "Friendship and the 21st-Century Boy." In the lecture, Alvaro discusses what friendship is and how to help children—and young boys, in particular—foster healthy friendships. He discusses contemporary obstacles to friendship and why growth in maturity is necessary for true, deep, and lasting friendships. He also offers a few words on what parents can do about bad friends—or, rather, friends with bad characteristics. In the end, Alvaro gives some practical advice for how parents and educators can set the stage for the formation of what Cicero called "the greatest of all gifts from the gods," friendship. Chapters 4:42 Introduction 6:10 What is friendship? 8:47 Fostering friendship by common action 12:02 Intimacy 17:41 Why maturity is necessary 21:26 Characteristics of maturity in friendship 26:09 What to do about "bad friends"? 30:32 Should parents intervene in their children's friendships? 32:17 How to separate your son from a bad influence 39:27 Specific challenges to boy friendship in the 21st century 50:50 Challenge of living in a hypersexualized environment 54:02 Practical ideas

Man is by nature made for movement. As a social-rational animal, he is not meant to live an angelic existence; his flourishing is embodied and, even more, it is familial. Though we all know this intuitively, living a healthy life can be difficult in practice. Not only does personal experience tell us this, data suggests it: life expectancy in America is dropping. How is such a downward trend possible given the advances in medicine and technology? What humans have done since the dawn of time, and what they have stopped doing in the past fifty, Is to move on a daily, hourly basis. To speak about the importance of movement for human flourishing and family life, we welcome to HeightsCast our athletic director, Mr. Dan Lively. Keeping an eye on the development of the whole young person, Dan discusses the problem of sedentarism, a lack of movement, which plagues many people's lives. Rather than focusing on one-off exercise, Mr. Lively suggests we think about our overall relationship to movement. Living a healthy lifestyle involves more than checking a box; it involves developing habits of movement—low intensity, high volume, enjoyable movement that everyone can do for his whole life. Chapters 2:00 Introduction: On Movement 2:45 What is movement? 6:20 The sedentary person 8:25 Keeping it personal 11:00 VO2 max and life-expectancy 19:00 Healthspan: Peter Attia and the art of longevity 23:10 Zone training and movement culture 25:55 Movement and the liberal arts 28:04 Building a culture 30:55 Movement vs. exercise 39:43 Step-counters 43:00 Movement in the winter Recommended Resources Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia Alan Couzens Also on the Forum Character Formation in Elite Athletics with Brad Soderberg Systems for Athletic Success with Dan Lively