This post is sponsored content from Chicago North Shore Moms’ partner, AoPS Academy Northbrook. Words by Elise Matson, Ed.D. Campus Director.
Ever wish your kid’s after-school program pushed them to actually think (you know, actually exercising the brain) instead of just memorize? AoPS Academy Northbrook is flipping the script on academic enrichment with math and language arts classes built around “productive struggle.” Because getting a little stuck is where the real learning happens – amen to that! Elise Matson, Ed.D., Campus Director for the Northbrook campus breaks down what makes this North Shore academic enrichment program different and why it might be exactly what your bored-but-curious big-brained kid needs.
What is AoPS Academy Northbrook, exactly?
AoPS Academy Northbrook offers after-school classes in both math and language arts for kids in grades K–12. Yes, both math and ELA!
The classes are small, the instructors are genuinely experts in their subjects, and the whole approach is built around one idea: Smart kids don’t need more busywork, they need better problems to chew on.
So what makes AoPS Academy different from other after-school academic enrichment programs?
Most enrichment programs are built for speed and perfect scores: memorize the formula, drill it, ace the quiz, move on. AoPS does the opposite. They actually want kids to get a little stuck. That “productive struggle” is where the real thinking and resilience happens, and it’s how kids learn to tackle something they’ve never seen before instead of just recognizing a pattern they’ve memorized.
In the case of math classes, this means working through problems that don’t have an obvious first step, the kind where the “aha” moment feels earned.
In language arts, it goes way past grammar worksheets and vocab lists; kids dig into real reading analysis, learn to build an argument that actually holds up, and start finding their own voice as writers. For the littlest AoPS students, all of this gets wrapped into story-driven puzzles and comics, so it feels more like an adventure than a lesson.
And it’s not just about the report card. AoPS teachers are known for knowing when to step back, letting kids wrestle with a problem together instead of just lecturing at them. That kind of resilience (figuring out what to do when you’re stuck, and not panicking about it) is a skill that follows kids well past the classroom, whether that’s their next math test or their first tough conversation with a teacher, coach, and someday, a boss.
Who’s actually teaching AoPS classes?
That teaching philosophy comes down to the people in the room. A few of the instructors at AoPS Academy Northbrook: Dr. Elise Matson, who holds a Doctorate in K-12 Education Leadership and spent years as a school principal and Language Arts teacher before joining AoPS for its focus on problem-solving and critical thinking. Alexis Gonzalez, a math instructor who brings eight years of experience across edtech and after-school education, and who describes every mistake in her classroom as a “brain push-up” in disguise. And Dr. Armaan Goyal, who holds a PhD in Astronomy and leads students to find the beauty of math in
everything from art to sports to entertainment. It’s that mix of academic depth and genuine enthusiasm that shapes the classroom experience at AoPS.
Is this program for my kid?
If you’ve got a kid in grades K–12 who’s bored by “more of the same,” or one who genuinely lights up when a problem is actually hard, this is worth a look. It’s not a program for kids who need to catch up on grade-level material — it’s for kids (and honestly, sometimes reluctant kids who just need the right kind of challenge) who are ready to go deeper.
AoPS Academy Northbrook is now enrolling for the 2026–2027 academic year, and North Shore families can learn more and reserve a spot here. This post is sponsored content from our partner, AoPS Academy Northbrook.
Join us for our welcome back and discovery day bash to learn more about AoPS from current students and staff! Register here.
This post contains sponsored content from Chicago North Shore Moms‘ contributing partner, AoPS Academy and is written by Elise Matson, Ed.D. Campus Director.
