Dear Families and Friends of Great Hearts Live Oak,

Great Hearts exists to cultivate the hearts and minds of students through the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Our primary tool of instruction is the Socratic Method. The teacher using this timeless method engages the student by asking questions that provoke deep reflection. Students evaluate every statement they make and use each other’s arguments to arrive at new conclusions while discovering more questions. By applying the Socratic method to literature and philosophy, students can engage with the material in a way that no textbook or system of memorization can provide. This kind of philosophical Socratic discussion, led by the teacher, also has an important place in other courses. Something like Socratic discussion happens whenever a teacher asks a question that provokes deeper thought, or answers a question with a question. This is teaching by questioning, learning by discovery. At Great Hearts, Socratic moments begin in kindergarten and first grade, and culminate in the upper high school grades when our scholars wrestle with the highest order questions of the human condition.

More than a curriculum, Great Hearts Live Oak is a community—a nurturing home for learners and leaders. Located within a growing and diverse community, we are proud to create a haven for learning that unifies us in a common and noble pursuit. Faculty and staff are carefully selected and developed for their professional expertise, moral character, and aspirational vision for education. Students will grow as friends and citizens within a joyful and ordered culture that honors their humanity while developing the habits of mind and heart that will lead to personal, professional, and civic virtue. Families will find a faculty and staff that is eager to partner with them in support of their students, faculty, and each other. We look forward to growing with you and your children!

Your partner in the pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness,

Gretchen Williams
Lower School Headmaster

Cynthia Audelo
Upper School Headmaster