Seven Keys of Great Teaching

Classics, Not Textbooks

• The idea of "Classics, Not Textbooks," focuses on providing energy and inspiration to any given subject. The program teaches learning through an inspiring classic, written by an inspired author who has an expertise on a given subject, as opposed to a mundane textbook, often written by several people.

Mentors, Not Professors

• Mentoring within the program is looked at in much the same way as book learning. The idea is that people who are mentors, meaning they have a certain expertise above that of the student, should act as an inspirational mentor, treating each student as an individual who has individualistic needs.

Inspire, Not Require

• "Inspire, Not Require" takes learning as something that must be self-driven; however, this drive and motivation must often be inspired within a student. This is where the mentor comes in. Rather than requiring a student to learn -- which often creates disinterest -- their job is to do their best to make the child want to learn.

Structure Time, Not Content

• Playing to the idea of individualism and inspiration, the Thomas Jefferson Education focuses on allowing kids to have relative flexibility in what they study. The key difference lay in the time, which should be dedicated and standardized for school each day.

Quality, Not Conformity

• Grades through the program come in only two flavors -- "do it again" or "excellent." The idea focuses on never settling for second-rate work. Either the work will be high quality or it won't be accepted, teaching kids to constantly require top-notch effort from themselves.

Simplicity, Not Complexity

• Education is an incredibly complex and diverse subject, at least on the public level. Through the program, education is simplified, allowing the student to dive deeper at their own pace, while retaining a high-quality educational experience. The focus of the curriculum includes writing, discussion, classics and projects.

You, Not Them

• One of the most interesting principles is the "You, Not Them" approach. This focuses not on the student, but on the educator. The idea is that the educator cares about themselves, as well as the learning. This in turn will help to inspire the student, showing them by example what to do.