COMMON Questions About Classical Education

The classical method of learning is a beautiful thing. It really helps teach kids how to think and not just what to think, giving them great skills and resources for problem solving and research. It’s also about learning what to do with that information and making confident decisions as we walk forward.

We all come to class with buckets of knowledge from the work we’ve done — as classmates and peers, we pour it out and discuss and learn together, coming away refreshed. That’s a community outpouring with each other — you take things from everyone and add them to your own bucket, coming away with something that’s also yours.

We’re people — moms, daughters, friends, and community, leading busy lives. What we want to draw you in with is our why: because of our hectic lifestyle, we found so much freedom in having the tools of learning without excessive, rigorous schooling, while still maintaining quality. GCE provides a portable community we can take with us wherever we go, always learning and growing together.

We’ve cultivated something that meets families right where they’re at. We wanted children who can think through a problem, do hard stuff, and come out ahead — without spending a lot of time on busy work. By looking at other people’s lives within great literature and discussing the outcomes, we create critical thinkers — teaching them how to think, not what to think, building virtuous people in the process.

The program meets people where they’re at and is scalable — add more if you can, or scale back for your learner when needed. As parents, we know our kids best, and we want to support families in that. That’s GCE.

What sets us apart is that we’re better together — an amazing community anywhere we are, with the flexibility that’s so valuable in today’s busy world to access great educational opportunities from anywhere. Live online classes mean you can take your class and peer group with you while traveling, then go live the rest of your life once class is over.

Our curriculum is a great mixture of ancient texts and modern-day contemporary literature, with a weekly agenda breaking down what students should do both offline and in class. To sum it up: we’re better together, with great community and flexibility because we’re online only, plus great literature and conversation — that’s what makes the interactions and relationships in our community, right on Zoom, different.

For a grammar student, that’s a 2-hour meeting twice a week online with their mentor and peers, plus about one to two hours of independent work on the other three days.

At the dialectic level (middle school ages), that’s a 4-hour meeting once a week online with peers and mentor, plus two to four hours of independent work on the other four days, working alongside parents.

For rhetoric (high school ages), that’s 4 hours once a week with their community, plus about 4 hours a day on at-home days. From a mom’s perspective, it saves a lot of time and money — no driving to a co-op, just opening up the laptop in the morning with coffee from home.

GCE provides a weekly agenda breaking down the curriculum so students know what to do and parents can check off progress, plus mentors who guide students through new concepts and discussions — along with community, accountability, and support.

On the parent side, students need a device with Wi-Fi, a built-in microphone, and a camera to fully participate in class discussions. Wired headphones are recommended to cancel background noise. When you sign up, you’ll also receive a book list for the student’s curriculum and agenda.

A mentor is a lead learner — someone who learns alongside students while facilitating and leading discussion. Using the five common topics and the tools of learning, mentors draw out new concepts and ideas and help students realize the knowledge they already have.

Outside the classroom, mentors keep parents updated on major calendar events and flag any classroom issues. Mentors are not teachers — parents are the teachers — so mentors don’t assign grades, but they do provide feedback on research papers and essays presented in class. In short: mentors lead, guide, and support both students and parents, while students prepare for class each week at their level.

Learning through talking is a great way to challenge your thinking. You come into a discussion with your own views, but when a classmate sees a topic differently, talking it through can confirm what you believe or change it for the better.

It’s also great preparation for real life — most work is team-based, collaborative, and conversational. Conversations let everyone bring different ideas from different books, and those ideas blossom into rich discussion. Discussion adds another dimension to learning — like adding taste and smell to a meal — pushing students to organize their thoughts into clear ideas and, just as importantly, to listen.

For mentors, dialogue changes the class dynamic entirely — no more passive heads on a screen, but real interaction and challenge that mirrors real life, with peer feedback helping students grow.

Our vision is to revolutionize the landscape of online education by offering a world-class classical education curriculum that inspires students to reach their full potential and become leaders in their communities.

We envision a vibrant online learning community where students engage in intellectual discourse, are empowered to think critically, and are inspired to pursue a lifelong journey of learning and personal growth — fostering a love of learning and a spirit of curiosity that propels students toward their full potential.

Our mission is to instill a love for learning and develop critical thinking skills in students through a comprehensive and enriching classical education curriculum.

Our goal is to empower students to excel academically, nurture their talents, and prepare them to thrive in a constantly evolving world — leveraging technology so our curriculum upholds classical education principles while making learning accessible, engaging, meaningful, and fun for students from all backgrounds.

In the simplest terms, classical education focuses on the art of living well — the goal is to produce virtuous young adults who can use knowledge of the past to make good decisions in the present. It equips students with critical thinking skills, the ability to challenge perspectives, and leadership qualities.

More specifically, classical education centers on passing on the heritage of the West, built around the Trivium — grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Grammar is the building blocks of any subject — this is where knowledge begins. At GCE, we start at the dialectic phase, essentially logic — sorting ideas into truth and goodness, where understanding develops. In rhetoric, students focus on the art of a good person speaking well — presenting truth and goodness in a compelling form, where wisdom lives.

There are a few ways to earn money with GCE. Mentors lead our 4 Hours to Freedom courses and are paid a set amount per student. Tutors and instructors can list almost any class they’re interested in offering — live or pre-recorded — and set their own prices and hours.

Best practice: appeal to multiple age groups, diversify your classes to meet students where they are, and be available during the hours your target audience needs. The more options you offer at the start, the easier it becomes to narrow in on what your students need.

Welcome to the GCE community, where our learners strive for excellence. This parent-led program emphasizes active student participation, diligent completion of assignments with integrity, and a positive attitude toward learning.

Collaboration and growth are encouraged in our online classroom, where students are urged to ask questions, seek help, and support each other. Parents are encouraged to learn alongside their students, guiding their pace and ensuring meaningful discussion — balancing a structured curriculum with parental involvement is key to maximizing the benefit.

GCE offers a wide variety of classes, from our 4 Hours to Freedom full-year curriculum to tutoring, extracurricular, and enrichment classes — ranging from one-day introductions and week-long boot camps to full-semester courses.

Current offerings include photography, music, and art, along with several IEW options ranging from keyword outlining to a full grammar curriculum, plus creative writing courses all the way through to becoming published. New classes are added all the time, so check back regularly.

Classes are held on Zoom for four hours once a week, with an hour dedicated to each of the four subjects. Students participate in conversation throughout the day.

Prior to class, learners complete their work so discussion can flow easily. Mentors guide informed discussions, ensuring the tools of classical learning are delivered and practiced regularly in a peer group setting.

Each of our levels has a minimum age requirement: the dialectic phase requires a minimum age of 12, rhetoric one requires 14, and rhetoric two requires 16.

These age limits help maintain a mature and productive dialogue that aligns with the complexity and depth of each topic, ensuring participants can engage in a more meaningful exchange of ideas.

Our program is where traditional education meets the modern age — offering structured lessons, engaging activities, and personalized support for an enriching learning experience, with a rich and balanced curriculum that fosters a love for learning and critical thinking skills.

This program encourages a “less is more” approach and provides flexibility for students to learn from anywhere while still connecting with classmates. The curriculum is thoughtfully crafted by experienced mentors to instill a love for learning without overwhelming students or detracting from family life.

Freedom is the power to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Our classical full-course offering is just 4 hours long on class days — that brevity and flexibility gives learners the freedom to be part of a classroom of peers from anywhere on the globe, with a less cumbersome workload.

That freedom opens up the rest of the week for extracurriculars like travel, sports, dance, drama, and community clubs — plus room to explore hobbies. The possibilities are endless when you partner with GCE to find your balance and freedom.

Class days are structured so that your work is done before you enter class, so you’re ready to discuss the week’s assignments. Each unique online class brings together learners from different backgrounds and lifestyles — part of our passion is the diversity each learner gets to experience together.

In each class, you’ll participate in conversation and contribute to the discussion. This is a Socratic-style discussion, so posing thoughtful, polite questions to your peers is highly encouraged as the group works toward a conclusion together, with a mentor facilitating.

Our class size goal for 4 Hours to Freedom classes is between six and ten students per mentor, with a maximum of twelve. A smaller group size leads to more personalized, in-depth discussions, improved engagement, and stronger connections between students.

This creates a supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Homeschooling is often criticized for being isolating, but with a supportive community, it doesn’t have to be that way. Community is essential for mutual support and growth — and helping others can be just as rewarding as receiving help.

Teaching others also leads to personal growth and development, which is part of why community is built into the GCE experience.

Studying the classics is crucial because they offer timeless wisdom and insight into human nature. Exploring ancient texts allows for a deeper understanding of personal and societal values, providing lessons that shape our perspectives, promote critical thinking, and help us navigate modern challenges.

Letting the classics teach us means we can learn from others’ experiences without having to repeat their mistakes ourselves. Studying the classics fosters empathy, enhances intellectual stimulation, and connects us to humanity across time and cultures — leading to personal growth and a richer appreciation of the human experience.

Studying Latin is crucial because it helps students build on their current knowledge of English while training the mind for other language learning challenges. Latin is similarly structured to Greek and the other Romance languages, so a foundation in Latin makes learning those languages easier too.

Knowing the foundations of Latin is also a big help when studying classic literature.