Live Summer Program · July 20–31, 2026 · Ages 11–15 · Online
Two weeks that change how your child feels about learning.
A live, online taste of a real TSE education. Two core classes every day, Humanities and STEM, plus four hands-on electives across the two Wednesdays. Small group, capped at 15.
Whether your child is bright and bored, hungry for real ideas, or just needs something better than another screen-staring summer, this is two weeks of the kind of learning that makes them lean in.
Here's exactly what your child gets in two weeks:
- About 36 hours of live, small-group learning over two weeks, capped at 15 students.
- Live on US Central Time. Core days (Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri) run 10am–2pm CT. The two Wednesdays run 10am–5pm CT. Lunch 11:30am - 12:30pm CT.
- Two core classes daily: Humanities and STEM, Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday.
- Four Wednesday electives: Creative Writing, CoLab, Spanish, and Personal Finance.
- Beloved guides: Eugenia, Darren, Alan, Mariana, and Jeff, mentors kids routinely call the most fun teachers they've had.
- Three free books: The Habit of Thought, Raising Free Learners, and Michael's biography (at launch).
Something's off with traditional school, and you're right to feel it.
After thirty-five years working with students across public, private, and charter schools, we kept seeing the same thing. Bright kids bored out of their minds. Kids with learning differences mislabeled or ignored. Curious thinkers buried under work that means nothing to them. So we stopped trying to patch the system and built our own. This is two weeks inside it.
Why It’s Worth Their Summer
Serious learning that's actually fun.
You've watched your child treat school like a chore. Over two weeks you'll watch the opposite: real curiosity, not dread.
Productive, not passive.
Not another screen-staring summer or a "summer school" slog. Each day they're reading closely, debating real questions, solving problems with other kids, and writing things they're proud of.
Two weeks that are actually good for them.
Not a place to park your kid for two weeks. Real books, real discussion, and work they're proud of, with guides kids call the most fun teachers they've had.
Humanities · daily · with Eugenia
Big questions, real arguments, and their own voice on the page.
Through Kafka, Twain, Wilde, and Gogol, students dig into the questions every teenager is actually wrestling with: What makes a person "themselves"? Why be good if the world doesn't always reward it? They read closely, argue honestly, and write. One of our students put it best: "At TSE, I get to use my voice, not just listen to a teacher. We all share our work and think together."
- They learn to read a text closely and defend an idea with reasons, not just opinions.
- Every day pairs a real discussion with a creative or writing activity.
- Led by Eugenia, who is completing her PhD on Plato at the University of Athens and lives for this work.
STEM · daily · with Darren
Whether they love math or swear they hate it.
This is math the way it was supposed to be: patterns, puzzles, and reasoning you can actually see, not drills to memorize. The kid who thinks they're "bad at math" discovers they were just never shown the good part. The kid who already loves it finally gets fed. As one student put it, "Darren shows us how to think through things and see how they make sense in math."
- They build real confidence by figuring things out, not by being told the answer.
- Collaborative puzzles and discussion, open to every level, at every level.
- Works for the math-averse kid and the math-hungry one in the same room.
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The Wednesday Electives
Creative Writing, with Eugenia.
Short exercises disguised as games that build to a finished piece. Most kids leave having written something real. "I see myself as a writer now. Before, I tried to write. Now I really create my writing."
CoLab, with Alan.
Team challenges where the class escapes the dungeons of an enchanted castle, saves ancient temples from the Nile, and tracks down who stole the Cultural Dossier in Fez. They learn to think under pressure, negotiate, and stop fearing failure, the skills employers actually want.
Spanish, with Mariana.
"How to survive only speaking Spanish." Real survival missions, ordering food, asking for directions, talking their way out of a lost-luggage situation in Argentina, until they can hold their own in Spanish without being perfect.
Personal Finance, with Jeff.
Budgeting, saving, and the basics of investing, through Socratic discussion and real scenarios. By the end, your child has built an actual personal financial plan they can use.
What Parents Say About Us
“After 11 years in the Navy and a tech career, even launching a startup to support kids with sensory needs, I turned to homeschooling when traditional schools couldn’t meet my son’s needs. That shift happened fast, and I had to figure things out through trial and error. I joined this program looking for a better way to connect with my son. I wanted our conversations to go deeper and actually support his growth. What I didn’t expect was how valuable the community would be. The insights, support, and shared mindset of other parents have been one of the most helpful parts of my journey.”
– Latham Turner
"I spent a decade as a university professor and two decades in science. The Socratic method came naturally. I used it often, even in classrooms of 75 students. So when I joined the program, I wasn’t looking for basic conversation tools. I was looking for something more profound: a way to nurture long-term critical thinking in my children. What stood out most? The community. Connecting with other alternative-education parents gave me something I didn’t know I was missing: relief from the isolation of homeschooling. The ongoing dialogue, relationships, and sense of shared purpose were deeply enriching."
– Claire Honeycutt
"Michelle and I owe so much to Michael Strong. He was the key motivator and inspiration behind our educational choices for our son— and we are immensely grateful to him. If you have children, please do your future self a favor: listen to what Michael Strong says about education—and act on it. You’ll be glad you did."
- Andreas Widmer
"My daughter has ADHD and in this program she can concentrate and stay focussed the whole time!"
- Sarah, parent
"I have noticed my daughter’s endless belly laughs and the joy in recounting her day to me. She is a naturally happy and confident kid, but this program has further expanded and elevated those attributes through her school experience, which is quite amazing!"
- Naomi, parent
"We came across this school last year but we held off because of the fear of the tuition. I truly wished I would have joined sooner. The kids love it!"
- Libby, parent from our school
"Michael Strong has created the most sophisticated online school I know of."
- Norman Doidge
"As a successful entrepreneur married to a successful C level media executive, both Lizzie and I were challenged, in a good way, when our 16 year old son asked why there were no schools or education paths that focused on the the individual and/or entrepreneurs...education doesn’t focus on the real world nor does it prepare our youth for how to be your best self… I shout from the mountain top about TSE because it is at the forefront of education"
- Andy Blacker
"There’s no cookie-cutter way my children are expected to learn. When they’re in a program that lets them discover how they learn best and what fits their needs, how can you ask for anything better?"
- Sister Moutique
You're Getting THREE Special Bonuses
COMPLETELY FREE!
BONUS #1
Michael's Biography
- Thirty-five years, eight schools, and the story behind the method, delivered to your inbox the day it launches.
BONUS #2
Raising Free Learners
- The book on Michael's approach to raising kids who think for themselves, what it actually looks like at home, not in theory.
BONUS #3
The Habit of Thought
- His complete Socratic seminar models, the "gossip to abstraction" roadmap, and ready-to-use questions you can run at home.
Everything Included in the Socratic Experience Summer Program
- About 36 hours of live, small-group learning over two weeks, capped at 15 students.
- Two core classes daily: Humanities and STEM, Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday.
- Four Wednesday electives: Creative Writing, CoLab, Spanish, and Personal Finance.
- Beloved guides: Eugenia, Darren, Alan, Mariana, and Jeff, mentors kids routinely call the most fun teachers they've had.
- Three free books: The Habit of Thought, Raising Free Learners, and Michael's biography (at launch).
About Our Founder
Michael Strong has pioneered school models and learning habits that accelerate student achievement for 35 years.
He developed a public program where minority female students acquired four years of critical thinking skills in four months. He then led Montessori-inspired secondary programs, including The Winston Academy, where middle school students excelled in AP exams, making it the nation’s most advanced school, and Moreno Valley High School, ranked 36th by Newsweek among over 20,000 U.S. public high schools.
Later, Michael co-founded KoSchool, combining his approach to AP coursework and SAT improvement with entrepreneurial and creative projects. KoSchool became the model for The Academy of Thought and Industry, the high school program for the largest Montessori network in the United States.
Michael wrote his graduate dissertation under the advisement of Gary Becker, a Nobel laureate. He authored The Habit of Thought, a comprehensive book on teaching through Socratic dialogue, and co-authored Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems with John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods.
Michael’s primary focus has always been his students and his family, including his wife, Magatte Wade, a serial Senegalese entrepreneur featured in TED talks and conversations with Jordan Peterson and Lex Fridman.
Here’s the Part That Makes This Easy.
Two weeks, not a year. $899, not a tuition decision. The simplest way to give your child a summer of real learning.
- Full two-week Summer Program: $899
- Three free books (Habit of Thought, Raising Free Learners, the biography): included
Founder-Cohort Price Today: $899
STILL GOT QUESTIONS? WE GOT YOU!
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is the Summer Program?
A two-week, live online program (July 20–31, Mon–Fri) for ages 11–15. Students take two core classes daily, Humanities and STEM, plus four electives on the two Wednesdays (Creative Writing, CoLab, Spanish, Personal Finance). Ninety-minute blocks, mirroring a real TSE day.
What time are the sessions, and can we join from outside the US?
Live on US Central Time. Core days (Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri) run 10am–2pm CT. The two Wednesdays run 10am–5pm CT. Families in the UK and Europe do the core classes in their late afternoon and evening (roughly 4–8pm UK)
Who is the program for?
Kids 11–15, and it fits three kinds of families especially well: the bright kid who's bored or checked out and needs the spark back; the busy family (athletics, travel, full schedules) that wants real learning their child can do from anywhere; and the kid who's hungry for actual ideas and tired of being spoon-fed. Homeschoolers, private-school, and public-school families all fit.
What if my child is a little younger or older than 11–15?
The program is built for 11 to 15, but it's really about readiness, not birthday. If your child is close to the range, reach out and we'll figure out whether it's a fit.
What does it cost?
The program is $899.
What tech do we need?
A laptop or desktop, stable internet, a webcam and mic, and Zoom. Free tools (Google Docs and similar) cover the rest. No paid software.
How big are the classes?
Capped at 15 students total, to keep discussion live and give every kid a voice.
What do we get included?
Three free books (The Habit of Thought, Raising Free Learners, and Michael's biography at launch).
Do you offer refunds?
Because access to the program, materials, resources, and/or support begins after purchase, all sales are final.
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