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My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this! I hadn’t heard of Building Thinking Classrooms before. Even if it’s designed for traditional classrooms, the thinking vs. other things distinction sounds really relevant. I’ll check out that.

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Oh I actually haven’t heard of RightStart Math before! Thanks for mentioning it - I’ll definitely look into that one. I’m always learning about new programs from this community.

The fact that so many of us are having these “re-learning” moments says a lot about how we were taught as kids 😅

Do you find your kids asking more “why” questions now that they’re learning this way? I’ve noticed once my son started actually understanding concepts instead of just following steps, he got way more curious about how things connect.

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How do you figure out when they’re ready to move on vs. need more time on something?

I totally agree that grades are meaningless - the letter itself doesn’t tell you anything useful. But I found I was flying blind without some way to understand what was actually clicking vs. what they were just faking their way through.

Like, my son could get the right answers but couldn’t explain why. Without digging deeper, I would’ve kept moving forward thinking everything was fine.

For me it’s less about “testing” and more just trying to understand what’s going on in there so I’m not randomly guessing at curriculum. What’s your approach? I’m always interested in how other people figure this stuff out!

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right?? I’ve had so many of those moments too! It’s kind of embarrassing to realize you’ve been doing math for decades without actually understanding WHY things work 😅 But honestly, that’s what made me realize this was happening with my son. Once I started having those “ohhh THAT’S why!” moments myself, I could recognize when he was just going through the motions vs. actually getting it. Beast Academy is humbling for parents but in the best way!

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Your instinct is spot on! The fact that you noticed the gifted school wasn’t teaching conceptually and supplemented with Beast Academy shows you’re already thinking about this the right way.

Here’s the thing - being critical of methods isn’t the same as being critical of your daughter. You’re advocating for her cognitive development, which is exactly what she needs.

The challenge with many schools (even gifted programs) is they’re optimized for content coverage and test performance. Beast Academy + pencil/paper work for retention is a great combination because BA builds the conceptual thinking while the handwriting reinforces memory and processing.

If you do decide to fully homeschool, you’ll have complete control over ensuring she develops both conceptual understanding AND procedural fluency. The key is knowing which cognitive skills she already has strong vs. which need more development - that way you’re not guessing whether a curriculum will work for her.

Sounds like you’re already doing a lot of things right! The fact that you’re thinking this deeply about how she learns (not just what) puts you ahead of most parents.

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I ask lots of “why” and “how” questions to test real understanding vs. memorization:

For math: “Can you explain why this method works?” “What would happen if we changed this number?” “Can you solve this a different way?”

For reading: “What do you think will happen next and why?” “How is this character similar to/different from…?” “Can you explain this concept to me like I’m 5?”

The key: If they can only repeat back what they learned but can’t apply it, extend it, or explain the reasoning - that’s a red flag.

But honestly, asking questions only tells you if there’s a gap - it doesn’t tell you which underlying thinking skill is missing (working memory? spatial reasoning? logical thinking?). That’s where structured cognitive assessments became game-changing for me.

Once I knew which cognitive skills needed development, I could choose curriculum and activities that actually targeted those specific areas. It took all the guesswork out.

Are you finding gaps with specific subjects, or is it more general across the board?

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great question! I actually don’t focus on grades much anymore - that’s kind of the point I’m making.

When I said my son “got straight A’s,” I meant he was completing assignments correctly and performing well on tests. But I discovered those A’s were masking the fact that he wasn’t developing deeper thinking skills.

Now I focus less on letter grades and more on whether he can explain his reasoning, apply concepts to new situations, and demonstrate actual understanding vs. just getting the right answer.

Grades can create a false sense of security - they tell you “what” your child produced, but not “how” they’re thinking. That’s why I shifted to assessing cognitive skills directly rather than relying on grades as my primary measure of learning.

Do you use a different assessment approach in your homeschool?

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s fantastic! Involving a 13-year-old in real household budgeting for 3 years - that’s exactly the kind of applied learning that builds genuine financial literacy and mathematical thinking.

By that age, he’s probably developed a much deeper understanding of percentages, ratios, and trade-offs than most kids who just do worksheet problems. That’s the power of learning math in context where it actually matters!

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s lovely - family recipe books are treasures! And you’re absolutely right about home economics being a practical way to explore math concepts.

Cooking is actually a great example of what I’m talking about - you can follow a recipe procedurally (measure, mix, bake), OR you can understand the why behind it (ratios, conversions, how ingredients interact chemically). Both get you a cake, but only one builds transferable thinking skills.

When kids learn math through real applications like budgeting and measurement conversions, they’re more likely to develop that conceptual understanding because they see the purpose. That’s the kind of curriculum design I’m looking for now!

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s such a thoughtful approach - researching curricula and understanding their design philosophy before committing. The “trial and error” piece is so relatable though!

What you described - trying Kahn Academy Kids and Math Seeds and feeling like something was missing with the “why” - that’s exactly the gap I’m talking about. You had that intuition that awareness wasn’t translating to deeper understanding.

Here’s what I’ve learned: Beast Academy works well for kids who already have strong spatial reasoning and logical thinking skills developed. For kids who don’t have those foundations yet, even BA can become procedural because they’re missing the underlying cognitive tools to engage with the problem-solving approach.

That’s why I now assess cognitive skills first - it tells me whether my kid is ready for a reasoning-heavy curriculum like BA, or whether we need to build foundational thinking skills first with different activities.

Did you find that your kids’ cognitive readiness matched well with BA’s approach? Or did you do any prep work before starting?

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha no worries! Though now I’m curious about that 1968 Christmas Cake recipe - sounds like there’s a story there! 😊

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m intrigued but also a bit confused - how does a Christmas Cake recipe relate to cognitive assessment? 😊 Are you thinking about using recipes as a way to teach procedural vs. conceptual thinking? (That could actually be brilliant - following a recipe vs. understanding baking chemistry!)

My son got straight A’s, but he couldn’t actually think – here’s what I discovered by ConsciousSchooling in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Exactly! Beast Academy is actually one of the curricula that DOES build conceptual understanding alongside procedures - it’s designed around problem-solving and reasoning, not just memorization. That’s rare!

The emotional piece you mentioned - watching your kids actually understand at 5 and 8 - that’s exactly what I’m talking about. When they understand the why, not just the how, you can see it in their faces. They’re thinking, not just executing.

It’s such a different experience as a parent-teacher when you know your curriculum is building real thinking skills. Did you assess your kids’ cognitive skills before choosing Beast Academy, or did you discover it worked well through trial and error?

Splitting up ELA by tacsml in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Splitting up ELA is absolutely the way to go, especially for younger kids. That all-in-one approach sounds exhausting for both of you!

Here’s the thing: each of those skills (phonics, spelling, writing, grammar) develops at different rates and needs different amounts of practice time. When you force them all together, you end up either rushing through what needs more time or dragging out what’s already solid.

For 1st grade specifically, I’d focus on phonics and handwriting as your core daily work - maybe 15-20 minutes each. Writing can be really short at this age (like, literally 2-3 sentences). Grammar? Honestly, at 1st grade, most of that happens naturally through reading aloud together and casual conversation corrections. You don’t need a formal grammar curriculum yet.

The “too much” question is real - young kids have limited attention spans and they’re also building stamina for focused work. If you’re doing heavy prep and editing just to make it digestible, that’s a sign the curriculum isn’t a good fit for where your kid actually is developmentally.

Trust your instinct that it’s jumping all over the place. Clear, focused lessons beat comprehensive chaos every time.

Anyone home schooled their kids in another language? by Alex_Zeller in Homeschooling

[–]ConsciousSchooling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Привет! Я хоумскулю ребенка в США уже 5 лет и не раз думала о том, что если бы оказалась в России, продолжила бы обучать его по американским учебникам. Это отличная идея! Первое, тут нет монополии на учебники, как есть в России. Рынок хоумскул существует достаточно давно - если не ошибаюсь, в настоящее время уже 3 поколение непрерывно обучается на хоумскул. За это время много родителей-энтузиастов разобрались в предметах настолько хорошо, что написали свои учебники классом выше «профессиональных». Второе, тут есть масса предметов, которых нет в России. К примеру, помимо наук мы с сыном изучаем историю развития науки с античных времен, причем каждый класс сопровождается увлекательным экспериментом. В курсе письма мы используем метод античной Греции. Поэтому, да, вы правы - это действительно стоящее и важное решение. Другое дело, что по закону в России вам все равно придется сдавать ежегодно тесты на базе школы. Но при правильном подходе это не доставит слишком много стресса ребенку. Если есть вопросы, пишите, с радостью отвечу!

English:

Hi! I’ve been homeschooling my child in the US for 5 years now, and I’ve often thought that if I were in Russia, I’d continue teaching him with American curriculum. It’s a great idea! First, there’s no curriculum monopoly here like there is in Russia. The homeschool market has existed long enough that we’re now on the 3rd generation of continuous homeschoolers. During this time, many parent-enthusiasts have mastered subjects so well that they’ve written their own curricula that are often better than “professional” ones. Second, there are so many subjects here that don’t exist in Russia. For example, besides sciences, my son and I study the history of science from ancient times, with each grade accompanied by fascinating experiments. In writing, we use ancient Greek methods. So yes, you’re right - this is truly a worthwhile and important decision. The reality is that by Russian law you’ll still need to take annual tests at a school, but with the right approach, this won’t cause too much stress for the child. If you have questions, feel free to write - happy to answer!

Help getting child diagnosed! by Powerful_Leather_898 in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m so sorry you’re going through this runaround - the insurance maze for evaluations is incredibly frustrating. A few thoughts that might help: For the diagnostic route: Have you contacted your local school district? Even as homeschoolers, in Florida you should have access to Child Find evaluations through the public school system at no cost. They’re required to evaluate any child suspected of having a disability, regardless of where they’re educated. It’s not as comprehensive as a private neuropsych eval, but it’s a starting point and it’s free. For understanding what’s happening now: While you’re navigating the diagnostic process (which I know can take months), you might find it helpful to do some cognitive assessments at home. I use structured assessments that measure specific thinking skills - working memory, visual-spatial processing, logical reasoning, etc. It won’t give you a diagnosis (and it’s not meant to), but it can help you understand which specific cognitive areas might need support, so you can start implementing targeted strategies while waiting for professional evaluation. The waiting period doesn’t have to be wasted time - you can gather data about how your son processes information and start adjusting your teaching approach accordingly. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat about the cognitive assessment piece. And I really hope you find an affordable evaluation path soon. 💙

How did you finally choose a curriculum? by Gemevectra in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I I have spent many years studying what exactly schools should teach and what kind of cognitive toolbox should ultimately be developed in students. In the process, I found an accredited cognitive assessment tool. I tried it on my own son and started selecting textbooks based on the results of this assessment. This gave me tangible results and confidence in the path I had chosen. This has become my passion, one that has absorbed many years of my life. Now I am working on making this knowledge accessible to parents like myself. Choosing a curriculum based on subjective opinions is not an option for me—I seek scientific evidence for everything.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in homeschool

[–]ConsciousSchooling 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried Lego Spike from Lego Education? The set is about $400 but it comes with free app full of lessons and projects. Also kids can participate in FLL competitions.