The Live Semester Cohort is designed for high-school students ages 16–18, typically sophomores through seniors, though maturity and genuine interest matter more than a particular grade level.

The ideal student doesn't need to be an expert in American history. They need to be curious; willing to ask questions, consider ideas carefully, listen to others, and wrestle with subjects that don't always have easy answers.

No prior knowledge of American history is required, although a foundational understanding of the American Revolution, its major events, and its causes will certainly be helpful. Students who already love history, political philosophy, or the American Founding will find an opportunity to explore familiar subjects at an entirely different level; through primary sources, enduring principles, guided questioning, and conversation with other students who share their interest.

And students don't need to be naturally outspoken.

Quiet or hesitant students are welcome. Everyone will be encouraged to participate, but there is no participation grade and no expectation that every student enters the semester as a confident speaker. Part of the experience is becoming increasingly comfortable putting an idea into words, asking a question, listening to disagreement, and contributing to a meaningful conversation.

The cohort is especially well suited for homeschool students and can become a substantial part of a semester's study. But it is not exclusively for homeschoolers. Public- and private-school students are equally welcome, and evening cohorts are offered when available. Because there is no traditional homework load, the experience can complement a student's existing full-time education without becoming another class filled with assignments to complete.

The Live Semester Cohort is intentionally reserved for high-school students. Adults cannot formally enroll as participating students, although parents are always welcome to listen alongside their student from home.

Above all, expertise isn't required.

Curiosity, maturity, and a willingness to engage are.

The Live Semester Cohort is a discussion-based class.

Students arrive having experienced that week's Language of Freedom material, and our time together is spent exploring the ideas more deeply through prepared guided questions, primary sources, conversation, and respectful debate.

Every class is led by experienced teacher Gary Vesper, the Founder and Creator of Language of Freedom. 

Every student is expected to participate; but participation is not something to be performed for a grade. Students are simply encouraged to come prepared, do their best, and become increasingly comfortable expressing what they think and why.

There is no predetermined opinion students are expected to adopt.

Free thought is the standard.

Students will form their own opinions, reach their own conclusions, encounter disagreement, reconsider ideas, and learn to articulate their reasoning with confidence and respect.

Sometimes we will agree. Sometimes we won't. Sometimes a student may leave class thinking differently than when they entered.

That's the point of a real conversation.

Each Live Semester Cohort runs for 15 weeks, including a one-week break near the midpoint of the semester. Students meet once each week for 50 minutes at the same day and time: for example, Mondays from 1:00–1:50 PM Eastern. 

Each cohort is capped at 10 students. The small size is intentional, giving every student the opportunity to participate meaningfully and allowing the class to develop into a genuine community of conversation.

Over the semester, students will experience all 25 lessons of Language of Freedom. Because the course contains 25 lessons and the cohort meets over 15 weeks, some weeks will include more than one lesson. A complete semester schedule and syllabus will be provided after enrollment so students always know where we are in the journey and what to experience before the next class.

At minimum, students are expected to watch the corresponding lesson videos before each live meeting. Most lessons are approximately 15–25 minutes long.

The companion Learning Guides provide opportunities to go much deeper through primary-source readings, vocabulary, concepts, reflection, writing, and painting analysis. They will also help shape our live conversations, but students are not expected to complete every page or exercise each week.

There are no formal tests, grades, required essays, or traditional homework assignments.

That doesn't mean preparation doesn't matter.

The more you prepare, the more you will discover. The more thoughtfully you engage, the more you will have to bring to the conversation.

And when school, sports, work, family, or life makes for a particularly busy week, the standard remains simple:

Do your best.

Watch what you can. Read what you can. Come to class. Listen. Participate. Stay in the conversation.

Language of Freedom was designed to cultivate curiosity and serious thought; not to turn great ideas into another checklist of assignments to complete.

The purpose of the Live Semester Cohort is to be part of the conversation, so students are encouraged to attend as many live classes as possible. Attendance is not formally tracked or graded, however, and missing an occasional class will not leave a student behind. 

If your student cannot attend their regularly scheduled class, you may email Gary to request permission to join another cohort that week, when space and scheduling allow. Each live class will also be recorded and made available within 48 hours, so students can catch up before continuing with the semester.

Participating is simple. Students only need a computer, reliable internet connection, camera, and default computer microphone. No special software or equipment is required beyond access to the online classroom.

Students are strongly encouraged to keep their camera on during the live class. Discussion is simply more human when we can see one another, recognize reactions, and gradually get to know the people behind the voices.

When I previously taught Language of Freedom live to homeschool students, everyone participated with their cameras on. Over time, the screen stopped feeling like a collection of boxes and began to feel like a class of students who actually knew one another.

That's the kind of environment I hope to create again.

Class times vary by cohort, with options typically offered from late morning through early afternoon, as well as later evening times to accommodate students in different parts of the country, including the West Coast.

All class times are listed in Eastern Time (ET). Current dates, times, and availability can be found on the enrollment page.

Parents are absolutely welcome to listen in on the live conversation. In fact, we hope you enjoy it. 

During class, however, the conversation belongs to the students. Parents are asked not to participate, answer questions, or join the discussion. We want students to have the freedom to find their own words, develop their own ideas, and grow increasingly comfortable contributing to the group.

After class, the conversation is all yours.

Bring an idea to the dinner table. Ask what surprised them. Disagree with something together. Open one of the primary sources. Continue a conversation that began in class.

That's part of what Language of Freedom was created to encourage.

Parents will have access to the complete curriculum, semester syllabus, and community dashboard, making it easy to see what their student is studying and follow the cohort's progression through all 25 lessons.

For homeschool families, Language of Freedom can also be incorporated into a credit-bearing high-school course, depending upon the requirements of your homeschool and state. Families who need additional instructional hours can use the extensive Learning Guides, primary-source readings, writing prompts, discussion questions, and other course materials to build upon the weekly lessons and live classes.

Siblings are welcome to enroll in the same cohort when space is available. Because each sibling occupies one of the cohort's 10 seats, each must be enrolled individually; however, additional siblings receive a 10% enrollment discount.

And the Live Semester Cohort is certainly not limited to homeschool students.

Public- and private-school students are encouraged to enroll; particularly those who find themselves wanting to go deeper than their existing history or civics curriculum allows. Evening cohorts are offered when available so students attending school full-time can participate.

They don't need another version of the class they're already taking.

They can come here to explore the ideas beneath it.

Language of Freedom is built upon a simple educational conviction: we should pursue what is good, true, and beautiful; and give students the freedom to think seriously about what they encounter. 

The course explores the moral, intellectual, and political principles surrounding the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. That naturally means encountering questions about liberty, equality, natural rights, tyranny, religion, human nature, government, responsibility, and the character required of a free people.

These subjects can be political. They can be religious. They can be controversial.

We don't avoid them. We study them.

But Language of Freedom is not designed to promote a political party, contemporary ideology, or predetermined set of opinions. The pursuit of truth, not an agenda, is the standard.

The same is true of religion. Language of Freedom is not a religious curriculum and students are not expected to profess a particular faith. But neither does the course remove religion from a historical conversation in which it genuinely mattered. Students will encounter ideas about God, the Creator, Providence, natural law, conscience, morality, and the source of human rights because the men and women we study took those questions seriously.

At the center of the course are primary sources. Students encounter the words of the people themselves, accompanied by carefully constructed narration that provides context, connects ideas across centuries, and helps illuminate the larger conversation.

We call this approach Contemplative Education.

Rather than simply giving students answers to memorize about historical events, each lesson creates an environment in which they can encounter an idea, consider its meaning, wrestle with its implications, and arrive at understanding for themselves.

The same philosophy carries into our live discussions.

A guided discussion doesn't mean the teacher guides students toward the “correct” opinion. It means the teacher knows the intellectual terrain well enough to ask meaningful questions, provide necessary context, draw connections, challenge assumptions, and help students discover what they may not have discovered alone.

Students will encounter different arguments and perspectives throughout the course, and disagreement within the live classroom is welcome.

Free thought is the standard. Respectful disagreement is part of the experience.

Students may challenge an idea. They may challenge one another. They may even challenge the teacher. What matters is that we learn to listen carefully, reason honestly, return to the sources, and explain not only what we believe, but why.

The goal is not to produce students who all think alike.

The goal is to form students capable of thinking deeply about the principles of a free society; and participating thoughtfully in the conversations required to preserve one.

Enrollment in the Live Semester Cohort includes immediate access to the complete Language of Freedom: Founding Principles curriculum, including: 

• 25 complete lessons
• 4 introductory videos
• 25 companion Learning Guides
• 15 weeks of live cohort meetings
• Access to the private Community Dashboard, where students and the teacher can continue conversations, respond to questions, share observations, and engage with the ideas between live classes

Students are encouraged to participate in the Community Dashboard throughout the semester. Questions and ideas from the week's lessons will regularly be posted there, giving students another opportunity to think, write, respond to one another, and keep the conversation going beyond our 50 minutes together.

And when the semester ends, the curriculum doesn't disappear.

Students receive lifetime access to all Founding Principles course materials, allowing them to revisit lessons, return to primary sources, complete Learning Guides, or experience the entire journey again in the years ahead.

Live Semester Cohorts are generally offered twice each year:

Fall Semester: Early September through mid-December
Spring Semester: Early January through early May

Each individual cohort is capped at 10 students. Enrollment after a semester has begun may be permitted if space remains available, although joining from the beginning is strongly encouraged.

After enrollment, families will receive access to the complete curriculum, semester syllabus, Community Dashboard, live-class schedule, and the information needed to prepare for the first meeting.

Enrollment is protected by a 7-day satisfaction guarantee. If you decide within seven days of purchase that the Live Semester Cohort is not the right fit for your student, you may request a full refund.

And When the Semester Ends...

Completing Founding Principles doesn't have to mean leaving the conversation.

Students will be invited to continue through the Language of Freedom Fellowship, an ongoing community for students who want to keep learning together. Each month, Fellowship students receive a newly created Language of Freedom lesson and companion Learning Guide, followed by a live monthly gathering to explore and discuss the new material together.

Students who complete Founding Principles will also become eligible for Constitutional Governance, the second Language of Freedom curriculum, currently planned for completion in 2028.

The semester may end. The education in liberty does not have to.