Colin Gleason on Discipline: Giving Room for Good Things

“… the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild.”

G. K. Chesterton

 

This week we feature a rebroadcast of a 2021 talk from our lower school head, Colin Gleason. Mr. Gleason addressed the topic of discipline using decades of experience in the Valley, converting the lessons he shares with his homeroom teachers into ideas for parents at home. Ultimately, his guidance is all about bringing a long-term vision and great love into our attitudes of discipline, willing the good for our boys with all earnest humility.

Whether you’re thinking the kitchen or the classroom, Mr. Gleason encourages us to foster a culture of respectful dominion.

Chapters:

3:54 The parenting crisis
7:04 Defining discipline
9:20 Boys, immaturity
14:44 Raising them to our level
16:30 Unanxious leadership
18:53 Things Valley teachers don’t say
20:47 Freedom via boundaries
24:10 Prudent corrections
27:47 Give options
28:47 Establish a culture
30:40 Rely on natural consequences
33:14 How lessons really sink in
35:07 To discipline should be to love
39:10 What Valley teachers do
41:33 You’re the expert for your child

Links:

Wimps and Barbarians by Terrence O. Moore

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton

Also on the Forum:

Self-Mastery and Interior Freedom by Alvaro de Vicente

Discipline in the Classroom: On the Art of Order featuring Colin Gleason

Why Boys Need to Be Given Freedom by Andrew Reed

Featured Opportunities:

Convivium for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)