HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

Latest Episodes:

Joseph Bissex on Teaching with Body Language: How Movement Shapes Learning Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

Posture and facial expression are the most instant methods of communication. And we come to know something better when we can act it out in the real world.

With these principles in mind, Joseph Bissex, Heights English and drama teacher, uses the mind-body connection to advantage his students in the classroom. By deploying movement in his lessons, he teaches the boys to be aware of their own body language in order to understand texts and become more compelling communicators.

But it's more than just a method for learning English and drama—it's a general tool for the teacher's toolbox. Mr. Bissex tells us that if you can be attentive to your own body language, you strengthen your own teaching; and if you're attentive to the body language of others, "you start to see stories all around you."

Chapters:

3:39 Body language reveals disposition 5:36 Deliberate body language 9:03 A "disembodied" age 11:32 Physical-izing your lessons 13:26 Observing student body language 15:14 Example class exercises 18:34 Parenting with intentional body language 21:07 Awareness: a trainable skill

Links:

Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

"Making People Happy Makes You Happier, Too" by Arthur Brooks, The Atlantic

Also on the Forum:

Drama as a Teaching Tool: Freeze-Frame Tableaux by Joseph Bissex

The Teacher's Voice featuring Tom Steenson

Featured Opportunities:

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Michael Moynihan & Mark Grannis on Rising to the Challenge: Resolutions of an AI Task Force Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Last December, our headmaster assembled a team of faculty to consider the challenges of AI in education. After six months of reviewing the research, reflecting on the school's mission, and discussing at-length the possibilities and implications of AI for both teachers and students, this task force published its report in July. The report is a way to communicate the school's ongoing thought process around AI policies and procedures, rooted in virtue.

Today we welcome two members of the task force, upper school head Michael Moynihan and upper school logic and history teacher Mark Grannis, to share some takeaways from the group's discussions. They explain how they use—and how they don't use—AI in their own classrooms, as well as how they frame the issue to students and parents.

Chapters:

3:19 AI's rapid arrival 5:47 The Heights AI Task Force 9:35 AI use for teachers 13:09 AI misuse for teachers 17:44 Restructuring strategies: homework, quizzes, remedial modules 22:47 Don't give up on writing assignments 25:40 Value work over outcomes 29:44 Writing as thinking 35:25 Trust in a school community 41:33 Non-AI digital resources in education 44:42 The role of parents

Links:

"Making AI Work for the Good of Our Students," Report of the Heights AI Task Force, 2026

ChatGPT Holds These Truths to be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis

Teaching Sovereign Knowers Series by Michael Moynihan

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:

Struggling in Math: Where Digital Tools Can Assist in Academic Virtue featuring David Maxham

The Walled Garden: Critical Considerations for Classroom AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti

Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI featuring Andrew CantaruttiAI and the Take-Home Essay by Dr. Matthew Mehan

Featured Opportunities:

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Pat Love & Shane O'Neill on Making Room for Mistakes: Education as Imitation, Mistakes, and Improv Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

This age of AI puts a spotlight on the differentiated power of "thinking well." But the best way to teach students to think well is counterintuitive: we have to be willing to make mistakes. Students and teachers alike will have to get comfortable with the idea of mistakes as part of the journey toward critical engagement.

In this week's episode, music teacher Pat Love and middle school teacher Shane O'Neill liken education to good jazz. Students absorb the traditions, imitate the masters, try to make it their own, and learn by trial and error under a trusted guide.

Chapters:

2:37 The jazz and education analogy 7:50 Making space in the classroom to try—and fail 9:46 Teacher habits for student agency 15:21 Tests, assignments, seminars 18:54 The educative power of imitation 22:42 Grades, and when a kid is "playing scared" 27:43 Turning correction into learning 31:07 Fewer one-right-answers 37:06 Drawing out participation 41:48 Transmitting a culture, not just a subject 43:58 Addressing philosophical mistakes

Links:

The Risk of Education: Discovering Our Ultimate Destiny by Luigi Giussani

Also on the Forum:

The Art and Act of Knowing—and What It Means for Teaching featuring Dr. Jonathan Buttaci

Educating Boys: Nature, Risk, and the Making of Men by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

Teaching Sovereign Knowers Series by Michael Moynihan

Featured Opportunities:

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Alvaro de Vicente on Men for the World: On Every Man's Vocation Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Admittedly, today's world is far from the Garden where the world began.

If we think of our vocations as "recovering the Garden," we may wonder whether it is best to go out into the world with a missionary spirit or retreat to morally safer spaces and protect the flame. Which has the better impact on the world and our families? Can one go into the world and not lose his soul? And what does the world really need from us?

In his annual Headmaster's Lecture, Alvaro de Vicente encourages us to encounter the world with Christian confidence. We win it back through our families and professional work—and we should prepare our sons to do the same. For, Mr. de Vicente argues, there is no tension here: going into the world to serve with a Christian spirit is good for the world and good for the man.

Chapters:

3:52 Our sons going into the world 6:11 The world: God's gift to man 13:15 Sin: breaking the gift 18:32 Christ: redemption of the gift 20:42 Evil resides where good leaves 28:81 Winning back the world 30:12 How the Church views worldly professions 39:56 What work is for 42:30 The limits of "good" work 48:19 Good work is formative 50:22 Encouraging the next generation

Links:

"Chapter V: The Manners of the Christians" in Epistle to Diognetus by Mathetes

Forty Gospel Homilies by Pope St. Gregory the Great

The Way of the Cross by St. Josemaría Escrivá

Gaudium et Spes pastoral constitution by the Second Vatican Council

Also on the Forum:

The World Needs Your Son to Be Professionally Ambitious by Alvaro de Vicente

Elon Musk, Mother Teresa, and Why Catholic Schools Should Be Secular by Nate Gadiano

Featured Opportunities:

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Kyle Blackmer on Heights Clans and the Need for Festival Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

This fall marks the 25th anniversary of the institution of the Heights Clans. These competitive bodies engage in festivity six days a year, including two full Clan Days every All Saints Day and Feast of the Annunciation. This participates in the rich liturgical and intellectual traditions of authentic feasting, using the building blocks of worship, arts, food, and games.

Today on HeightsCast, middle school teacher and clans gamemaster/meister Kyle Blackmer explores why a school—or any community—should consider a commitment to these rituals of festival.

Chapters:

4:28 Pieper's definition of festival 7:33 Each festival unique to its place 9:01 Heights Clan Days 15:03 Why feasting is important 20:43 Connecting a student body 22:19 A liturgical basis 24:28 Preparation: the fast before the feast 28:21 Practical challenges to festival

Links:

The Heights Student Life: Clans, containing more information about our four clans and clan festival days

In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper

"The Immortal Power of Astonishment and Laughter" by G. K. Chesterton

Around the Year with the von Trapp Family by Maria von Trapp

The Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen

Also on the Forum:

In Defense of Victory by Kyle Blackmer

Featured Opportunities:

Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026)

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Alvaro de Vicente on the Scope of Mentoring Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

At The Heights, every teacher functions as a mentor for students. This is more than a figure of speech; it's the character of certain student-teacher relationships with routine check-ins oriented toward holistic personal growth. This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente considers the scope of different kinds of advisory, and outlines his vision for what makes real, effective mentorship.

Chapters:

4:36 Whether all teachers are mentors 9:07 All advisory: goals, agency, and disposition 12:40 Spiritual direction and coaching 16:29 The scope of our mentoring program 20:20 Primary relationships for growth 23:17 Secondary supports for growth 26:49 A holistic mentor 28:23 Mentees of another faith 31:06 Handling big questions

Links:

The Heights School Mentoring Program, including links to the mentoring handbook and topics by age

Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta by St. Teresa of Calcutta

Also on the Forum:

The Mentoring Playlist on The Heights Forum, containing essays and podcasts on the topic

Featured Opportunities:

Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026)

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

David Maxham on Struggling in Math: Where Digital Tools Can Assist in Academic Virtue Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

There's a sea of online math supplements, from drills to games to whole courses, all promising advancement for your struggling student (or your stellar student who has outpaced his cohort). What kind of program, if any, is right for your student? Under what conditions are digital tools most effective?

Heights math teacher David Maxham gives us an extremely practical guide to the best digital resources out there and how to use them effectively. He also shares the failure modes you may not see coming when "hiring" a digital tutor for your child.

Chapters:

2:19 Digital tools at a liberal arts school 3:47 For students at both ends of the spectrum 11:41 Online drills: assisting academic virtue 14:12 Parent guidance still needed 18:56 Benefits of in-person lessons 23:32 How digital data can help teachers 27:08 Getting student buy-in, gaining confidence 32:22 Whole online courses: Math Academy over Khan 41:44 Remediation without embarrassment 46:46 Common pitfalls to outside help

Links:

Math Facts Lab drills, broadly recommended by Mr. Maxham

Rocket Math drills, also mentioned

Math Academy courses, recommended by Mr. Maxham

Khan Academy courses, Mr. Maxham says best as a supplement, not as a class

Matific, gamified math practice

Beast Academy

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:

Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham

Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts featuring David Maxham

How to Help Your Son When He Struggles Academically: Part I by Michael Moynihan

How to Help Your Son When He Struggles Academically: Part II by Michael Moynihan

Featured Opportunities:

Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) – link coming soon

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (early November 2026) – link coming soon

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Dr. Jonathan Buttaci on the Art and Act of Knowing—and What That Means for Teaching Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

How do we know whether we know something? How do we know whether our son or student has apprehended a lesson?

Sometimes we hear the liberal arts discussed as a "beholding of great things." But Catholic University professor Dr. Jonathan Buttaci reminds us they are liberal arts—implying a craft or adept handling of knowledge. In other words, coming to know something is not passive at all. It's an act. And that act does not primarily belong to the teacher.

This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Buttaci talks epistemology and what the role of the teacher really is in bringing young people to knowledge.

Chapters:

3:59 Knowledge: active, not passive

12:56 Practical ends of knowledge

18:02 Contemplation: Buttaci v. Pieper

24:04 Liberal arts

30:16 Knowing bestows freedom

35:29 Where truth and creativity meet

42:27 The power of the teacher

43:52 How teachers can preserve the joy of discovery

57:59 Teaching rote, grindstone skills

01:05:08 A teacher's job is joyful

Links:

Education Is Not about Content Transmission by Dr. Andrew Abela, notes on a presentation by Dr. Jonathan ButtaciMagnifica Humanitas, papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIV Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper The Idea of a University by John Henry Newman

Also on the Forum:

Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts featuring David Maxham The Teacher's Voice featuring Tom Steenson Teaching Sovereign Knowers Series by Michael Moynihan

Featured Opportunities:

Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) – link coming soon

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (early November 2026) – link coming soon

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Dr. Paul Shrimpton on Newman and his Idea of a School Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

The most famous work of our newest Doctor of the Church is, of course, The Idea of a University—a collection that explores the essence of a Catholic university education. But fewer people know about St. John Henry Newman's extensive efforts in primary and secondary education:

Newman's part was not just as an educational theorist, but a school founder, who played every nitty-gritty role from fundraising to parent relations, from essay grading to student mentoring, even processing repair orders and playing second violin to fill out the little school's orchestra.

Dr. Paul Shrimpton has spent decades studying Newman's interest in education, from theory to practice. Today on HeightsCast, he invites us into Newman's vision for younger students, their teachers, and grammar schools as places of "grounding" and "a really liberal education."

Chapters:

00:05:18 Co-patron of the Church's educational mission 00:07:50 Timeline of Newman as educator 00:20:25 Different models of student freedom 00:27:39 Methods of study for young people 00:34:11 Newman: a personal, hands-on educator 00:39:26 The role of a teacher 00:48:23 Partnership with parents 00:57:39 Forthcoming book on Newman: education and practice

Links:

"Drawing New Maps of Hope" apostolic letter by Pope Leo XIV The Idea of a University by John Henry Newman Historical Sketches, especially vol. 3, by John Henry Newman "Personal Influence: The Means of Propagating Truth" by John Henry Newman The Adeodatus Series on Catholic Education & Culture by The Catholic University of America Press (publisher for Dr. Shrimpton's forthcoming book, St. John Henry Newman and his Idea of a School, spring 2027)

A Catholic Eton?: Newman's Oratory School by Paul Shrimpton The Making of Men: Idea and Reality of Newman's University in Oxford and Dublin by Paul Shrimpton The Most Dangerous Man in England: Newman and the Laity by Paul Shrimpton

Also on the Forum:

A Whole Education: Teaching Persons, Not Just Subjects featuring Michael Moynihan

The Idea of a Catholic University featuring Dr. Peter Kilpatrick

Featured Opportunities:

Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026)

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Alvaro de Vicente on Boy-Girl Socializing: Fostering Healthy Peer Groups Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Statistics show that young people today are spending significantly less time socializing in face-to-face mixed company, across genders, than previous generations. This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente looks at how we might assess and address boy-girl socialization for our sons, helping the modern boy to develop healthy relationships in the right context.

Chapters:

2:46 "Normal" is not necessarily the measure

5:53 Healthy group dynamics

7:30 Growth comes in stages

12:12 The role of schools

19:25 The role of families

26:43 Manners and the virtue of charity

32:56 When to make a correction

Also on the Forum:

On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends featuring Tom Royals

Why Boys Need Dating Coaches and How to Be One by Alvaro de Vicente

Guidelines for Dating featuring Alvaro de Vicente