PLATO is offering online philosophy classes for high school students each quarter in the 2026-27 school year. This year, the classes are all related to PLATO’s Yearlong Initiative on the Purposes of Education.

Class Topics: 
Fall 2026: Power, Knowledge, and the Purpose of Education
Winter 2027: Becoming Someone: Selfhood, Status, and Life After High School
Spring 2027: Thinking, Learning, and Authenticity in the Age of AI

Each class will meet weekly for six weeks on Zoom. We welcome students from around the world.

At the end of the class, students who have completed the class will be provided with Certificates of Achievement.

Instructor: Dr. Jordan Sherry-Wagner will be teaching all of the 2026-27 online high school classes. Jordan is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington who became involved in K-12 philosophy education as a Graduate Student Fellow with the Center for Philosophy for Children (now PLATO) from 2017-2019, during which he earned a Certificate of Mastery. Jordan has led philosophy sessions in a wide range of educational contexts.

Fall 2026: Power, Knowledge, and the Purpose of Education
Wednesdays – October 7, 14, 21, 28, and November 4 and 11 (Veteran’s Day)
All classes 4:30-5:45 pm Pacific Time

Why do we go to school—and what is it really for? In this class, we’ll explore competing ideas about the purpose of education. Is school meant to prepare workers, cultivate citizens, transmit knowledge, promote equality, or help us flourish as individuals? Who decides what counts as “important” knowledge—and who benefits from those decisions? We’ll examine grading, testing, and college pathways while asking whether they support learning or reinforce inequality. Along the way, we’ll imagine alternatives: If you could design your own education, what would you choose to learn? What would a just and meaningful education look like today?

Winter 2027: Becoming Someone: Selfhood, Status, and Life After High School
Wednesdays – January 27 and February 3, 10, 24 and March 3 and 10 (no class February 17)
All classes 4:30-5:45pm Pacific Time

Who are you becoming, and how much of that is shaped by school? In this class, we’ll explore how identity, status, and social expectations influence the choices we make about our futures. If you weren’t worried about comparison or prestige, what would you do after high school? What values guide your sense of success or meaning? Drawing on philosophical ideas about freedom, authenticity, and social pressure, we’ll ask whether we truly choose our paths—or inherit them. We’ll also examine college admissions culture and self-presentation, considering what it would mean to represent yourself honestly in a system with built-in expectations.

Spring 2027: Thinking, Learning, and Authenticity in the Age of AI
Wednesdays – April 7, 14, 28 and May 5, 12, and 19 (no class April 21)
All classes 4:30-5:45pm Pacific Time

If AI can write your essay or solve your homework, what is learning for? In this class, we’ll explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping education—and what that means for thinking, creativity, and responsibility. Does learning require struggle? If a machine helps you produce work, is it still yours? Should schools ban AI, embrace it, or rethink how they assess understanding altogether? We’ll also examine the ethics behind AI systems: Who designs them? What biases do they carry? Together, we’ll ask what it means to think, learn, and act responsibly in a world where intelligence is no longer only human.

These classes will be interactive and collaborative, requiring attention and participation of all students. Students should have their cameras on during class, as visual presence both enhances a sense of community and increases accessibility for all participants.

Barring unforeseen circumstances and illness, we expect students to attend all six sessions in the series. Consistent attendance is important for building community and deepening our discussions over the weeks we meet.

Philosophical conversations involve topics about which reasonable people can disagree. All participants are expected to arrive prepared to listen carefully, thoughtfully engage with others’ ideas, and bravely share their own thoughts.

Session facilitators will ensure we maintain a respectful and intellectually safe community of inquiry. Students will experience the joys of thinking together about the ethical and other philosophical questions on our minds.

The cost for a six-week class is $100 for non-members, or $75 for PLATO members (become a member here).

Please use the form to the right (or below on mobile) to register for the fall, winter, and/or spring classes.

Please register and make payment by the following deadlines:

Fall Class: October 1, 2026
Winter Class: January 20, 2027
Spring Class: March 31, 2027

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is not complete until payment is made. No refunds will be given after the registration deadline.

PLATO offers generous financial assistance for students. If you require a full or partial scholarship, please send an email to info@plato-philosophy.org before you register and indicate your reason(s) for the request and the extent of financial assistance you need.

Questions? Please contact us at info@plato-philosophy.org.